PLANS to close 15 post offices in East Lancashire were today slammed as horrific -- as MPs and council leaders warned the elderly and young families would suffer most.

The Royal Mail has announced its intention to shut seven post offices in Blackburn, four in Hyndburn, two in Darwen and two in Rossendale.

The closures are part of the company's national plan to close 3,000 of its 9,000 urban post offices.

It says many post offices are struggling to survive in the 21st century after the Government's decision to allow people to receive benefits direct to bank accounts.

In Blackburn, where a third of the town's post offices are earmarked for closure, council bosses are already drawing up opposition to the plans.

A consultation period will run until July 16, but if opponents have the same impact as fierce campaigns in other parts of the country, it will do little good.

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: "I am concerned about the closures and I am sure the residents and the council are and I will follow up any representations they make to me."

Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson said: "Its very sad whenever local facilities close but we have to recognise that some of these post offices just don't make enough money to be viable."

The Royal Mail, which yesterday announced profits of £220million even though it had not met any of its performance targets, said customers at the branches affected could easily access neighbouring branches.

Lammack Post Office, Addison Street Post Office and Witton Post Office, all in Blackburn, closed before the change.

Earlier this month, consultations over the future of two post offices in Clitheroe, Henthorn Road and Whalley Road, also ended. Their closure would leave the town with just one post office.

Anthony Edmundson, 21, of Markham Road, said his firm, Romer's Electronics, posted bags of franked mail at the Ewood post office nightly. He said: "We can't put bags in a posting box because they're too big. I don't know what we'll do."

And mum-of-two Samantha Logan, 24, of Greenbank Terrace, Lower Darwen, said: "Since Lower Darwen post office closed five months ago, I've had to come to this post office, which is about a two-mile walk."

Jackie Bickerton, aged in her 60s, of Livesey Branch Road, said: "It's a real shame. There are lots of pensioners who use the post office regularly.

"They like a little chat when they come for their pensions."