All five Post Offices lost

5.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 13th May 2008

Mike Barker discusses the closure plan with the Hopetown Postmaster

All five Post Offices within the Borough which were earmarked for closure are indeed to close, the Post Office announced this morning.

Mike Barker says, "Quite how Crown Street, which already suffers from horrendous queues for much of the day, will cope with the extra business can't imagine. Cleveland Terrace Post Office was a hub of the local community: a community about which the Labour Government and its Post Office bosses seem to care little.

"The loss of little Hopetown Post Office will be a real blow to the elderly and disabled people living nearby as well as the manager, who sells virtually nothing else from his shop.

"Similarly, little Croft Post Office in Hurworth Ward is a lifeline for the elderly residents living nearby. So much for local MP Phil "Is Hurworth in my area?" Wilson's "fight" to save post offices in his Sedgefield constituency."

A sad day for many people in Darlington who fought a good fight against overwhelming odds.