In an age of emails and rural neglect, MPs have warned that nearly half of the country's remaining post offices could be closed. The Royal Mail is axing 2,500 branches from its network of 14,000. A further 4,000 may also be stamped out.

A government spokesman said: "We know post offices play an important social and economic role but four million fewer people are using them each week than two years ago and the Post Office is losing 500,000 a day".