Four rural post offices close their doors

Four outreach post offices in south Shropshire are set to close this month. Marton, Longden, Stiperstones and Wentnor only open for a few hours each week. But the Post Office has said the services will cease due to "very low customer usage". Residents in Marton, where the pop-up post office opened for the last time on Monday, have started a petition to have it reinstated. Two other post offices in the county are also set to be affected by the changes. The opening hours of Shawbury and Hope outreach post offices are to be reduced from two hours a week to 90 minutes.Marton resident Maureen Jenkins, said: "Many residents in the village don't have a car so will need somebody to drive them to the closest post office in Chirbury or Worthen. "The bus only comes through the village four times a day so some residents will be left waiting hours to come back to Marton. "A poster went up last week to tell us that it was closing this week, which is why we're now fighting to keep it," added Mrs Jenkins, who is also a parish councillor. A petition to save the Marton outreach service, held in the village hall, has been sent to the Post Office by the councillor who represents Chirbury and Worthen on Shropshire Council. Liberal Democrat Heather Kidd said the closure would contribute to rural isolation as the service gave a reason for elderly residents to gather."The pub's gone, the village shop's gone, there's nowhere else to gather. "It's a focal point for everyone to come together and have a coffee and touch base once a week," she added. The outreach post office in Longden will close on 23 May, while the services in Stiperstones and Wentnor will cease trading on 27 May. There is no change to the Minsterley outreach service.