A POST office has been temporarily closed in a rural community.

But Post Office bosses said they could not confirm the reason why Hoddlesden Post Office has been shut when asked by the Lancashire Telegraph.

Villagers said the post office, which is part of the Hoddlesden Village Store in Queen's Square, has been closed for a few weeks and that they have been left in the dark about the closure.

One resident said the temporary closure has inconvenienced elderly people in the village in particular.

The Post Office has apologised for any 'inconvenience' caused.

They said: "The post office has been shut for a few weeks and nobody has got any idea when it's going to re-open.

"My grandma lives up there and a lot of old people do also and they depend on it on a regular basis.

"She's now having to go to Darwen town centre.

"People are becoming very isolated in rural communities and it feels like we're being neglected and cut-off."

A Post Office spokesman said: "We sincerely apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Hoddlesden Post Office.

“We understand and appreciate how much communities rely on our services.

"We would like to reassure customers that the decision to suspend services at any of our branches is never taken lightly.

"We take very seriously any decision to temporarily close a branch, and will only do so when it is warranted.

“We are working hard to restore services for the community as quickly as possible.”

The spokesman said customers can access Post Office services from any convenient branch including Darwen Post Office in The Circus, Darwen and Bolton Road Post Office in Bolton Road, Darwen.