A UP-AND-COMING Fylde politician has accused the Government of "masking" their plans to axe two Fylde post offices.

As reported in The Citizen (June 26), both Great Carleton and Poulton's Lower Green post offices were earmarked for closure by postal chiefs as part of a nationwide Urban Network Reinvention Programme.

Despite opposition from local residents and Euro-MP Chris Davies, it was announced on Thursday, August 7, that both offices will be shut-down next month.

This means that -- from September 13 -- customers in Carleton will have to travel more than a mile to services on Fleetwood Road North or the PoultonTeanlowe Centre, a journey which is mostly uphill.

Similarly -- from September 16 -- customers in Poulton will be forced to use the busy Teanlowe site or make their way through heavy traffic on Garstang Road East and Hardhorn Way to use services at the Hodder Way Post Office.

So far sites in Normoss, Anchorsholme and Blackpool have fallen victim to the programme since January.

But Conservative parliamentary candidate for Lancaster and Wyre, Ben Wallace, 32, says he has had "no reply" from a recent letter sent to post office bosses in protest of the closures.

The former Members of the Scottish Parliament says the government are "targeting retiring and disillusioned postmasters" and has urged the government to reconsider their programme of post office closures.

Mr Wallace said: "These post offices are an invaluable community resource to the people of Carleton and Poulton.

"People now have to face the prospect of travelling long and inconvenient distances just to use their nearest service.

"It is claimed that business is slow with no sign of improvement at the Carleton and Poulton sites and that postmasters have had enough.

"But nothing has been done to improve business or make them more attractive as a going concern to potential buyers.

"In addition to this changes to the benefit payment system have taken a huge chunk out of the average urban post office income and nothing is being introduced to replace that.

"The government are merely masking their efforts to close many urban post offices by targeting retiring and disillusioned postmasters who are more likely to succumb to closure and not replacing them with new ones.

"A number of the area's rural post offices have already had a reprieve from closure and I will be writing, once again, to the Post Office to ask them to consider a similar decision for these sites.

"I strongly urge the government to reconsider their measures to decrease the UK network of local post offices."

Despite receiving "a number of representations" from local residents during a four week consultation period -- which ended on July 23 -- postal officials have defended the closures.

Post Office Ltd's Head of Area, Eddie Herbert said: "I am confident that other branches in the area are suitably located and can cope with the extra business these closures will cause."