GILBERT: "WE MUST FIGHT FOR OUR POST OFFICES"

1.15.13pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 28th May 2007

Stephen Gilbert, who is supporting the LibDem campaign to save local post offices, said: "We must fight to keep our local post offices and I'm asking everyone to make a special point of using them over the next few weeks."

Over the last two decades, post offices have been closing at a rate of over 300 a year. Under the last Conservative Government, 3,500 local post offices closed, and under Labour another 4,000 have closed, hitting communities across the country.

Labour are now planning another 2,500 closures.

Stephen added: "Local post offices are the backbone of many communities, providing vital services for people. We need to keep them, and that means we all have to make an extra effort to use them."