THE Post Office has defended its record in re-opening local branches after it emerged that some in North and East Yorkshire had closed temporarily and then remained shut for years.

New figures showed that dozens of branches in the region had been closed for more than 12 months, with Coxwold, near Easingwold, reportedly waiting seven years for its to re-open.

Other branches which had been shut for long periods are said to include ones in Bright Street, York, Sledmere in East Yorkshire, Saxton near Tadcaster, Winteringham near Malton and Stockton on the Forest.

George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), said that sub-postmasters were finding it increasingly difficult to make a living because of falling incomes.

"The Government promised to make post offices its ‘front office’ and this was due to form a major part of branch’s revenues but this has so far failed to materialise," he claimed.

"Meanwhile, income from the mails business is under significant attack from competitors such as CollectPlus and myHermes.”

The Post Office insisted there was no closure programme, saying branches which temporarily closed did so for reasons beyond its control – such as resignation of the Postmaster or the premises being withdrawn from Post Office use.

She said: “The Post Office’s network is at its most stable for decades. We are committed to maintaining our network at around its current size and ensuring easy accessibility for our customers.

"Unfortunately from time to time, with a network as large and varied as that of the Post Office - with over 11,600 branches across the UK - a very small number of branches may temporarily close for reasons beyond our control, such as the resignation or retirement of a Postmaster or even fire or flood.

"In these circumstances, the Post Office works very hard to reinstate services. We will liaise with local stakeholders and customers to alternative service locations and will seek opportunities in the local community to try to restore services as quickly as possible.

"A branch will only remain closed for a period where no suitable premises or Postmaster can be found despite these efforts.”