A further two rural post offices are threatened with closure, the Evening Press can reveal.

The sub-post offices at Barton-le-Willows, near Malton, and at Thixendale, in the Yorkshire Wolds, are both due to close in the near future.

The circumstances are the same at both offices - the sub-postmistresses who currently run them are resigning.

Maude Smith, sub-postmistress at Thixendale for more than 40 years, said: "It's right, I am resigning and I think they are having difficulties replacing me."

Mrs Smith declined to comment any further on her resignation.

A spokesman for Post Office Counters Ltd said: "As far as Thixendale goes, the current postmistress Maude Smith has resigned for personal reasons after running the post office for 42 years.

"It is due to close at the end of March, so we're advertising for someone within the community to run a post office within their own premises."

The spokesman said: "Our priority is to find someone to run a post office."

He said the nearest alternative post offices for people living in Thixendale would otherwise be at Kirby Underdale, Leavening or Bugthorpe.

Belinda Fraser, sub-postmistress at Barton-le-Willows for nearly ten years, is resigning as she is planning to move to Leavening.

Mrs Fraser said she would miss running the post office. "I have always enjoyed doing it - you get a lot of satisfaction from it because you're providing people with a service."

The Post Office Counters spokesman said the current sub-office at Barton-le-Willows was due to close on March 6.

But he said they had received an expression of interest from someone wishing to take over from Mrs Fraser, and were currently looking into that.

The spokesman also said the nearest alternative post offices for people from Barton-le-Willows were at Welburn or Malton.

The threat to the post offices at Thixendale and Barton-le-Willows was bought to the attention of the Evening Press by Ryedale's Conservative MP John Greenway.

The MP, who has expressed support for the Evening Press's Counter Attack campaign, said: "In the mail this week, I have had letters from Post Office Counters Ltd. They list that Thixendale and Barton-le-Willows are both going to close.

"This is simply down to the resignation of the postmistresses. Nobody wants to run the post offices because it's not profitable."

Mr Greenway said he felt Government proposals to pay benefits straight into claimants' bank accounts would make Post Offices even less profitable and, therefore, less appealing to run as businesses

"There have been one or two a week so far this year threatened with closure. It's getting very serious - these tiny offices are only part time and are not viable," Mr Greenway said.

"This Social Security proposal is not making life any easier," the MP added.

First class response!

The Evening Press has been inundated with voting forms and telephone calls from readers lending their support to our growing Counter Attack campaign.

Pauline Mawtus, from Nether Poppleton, York, wrote in to back her village post office.

She said: "It is vital to the lives of the elderly in Poppleton who are unable to get on public transport, don't understand cash cards and would starve to death without the support of that excellent shop."

Dorothy Peevor, from the Walmgate area of York, wrote in support of Walmgate Post Office.

She said: "It must stay open as Brian (Fletcher, sub-postmaster) knows us all by name and always asks how you are, etc, an essential for those ones who live on their own, such as myself."

Doreen Ward, from Huntington, York, turned to verse to get over her support of Brockfield Park Post Office.

She wrote:

"There's parcels to post, stamps for the letter, they're always so kind,

they could not be better. They keep the doors open, don't close the doors,

do what we ask,

we want nothing more."

Clara Hutton, from Tollerton, near Easingwold, wrote in to give her backing to her village post office and store.

She said: "It is essential the post office stays. There are many more pensioners like myself (also a widow) with no car and we depend on all the amenities of the local shop."

We are planning to send all your completed Counter Attack coupons to the Government to let them know the strength of public feeling about this issue.

For more information about our campaign, visit the Save Our Swim section

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.