A COUNCIL leader has met with Royal Mail bosses in a last-ditch attempt to save local Post Offices threatened with closure.

Blackburn with Darwen leader Colin Rigby said the meeting was positive but said that the closure of 24 branches in East Lancashire is almost a "done deal".

The consultation period into the closures ended yesterday but Coun Rigby said he was able to tell a Royal Mail executive of the extra value that Post Offices have in deprived areas.

Coun Rigby met with Julia Young, a senior external relations manager, at Blackburn Town Hall, today.

He said the meeting went well but he believes that government pressure on the Royal Mail to save money means that it is almost impossible to save any of the Post Offices which have been earmarked for closure.

The government has said that the Post Office must reduce the £4million-a-week it is losing.

Coun Rigby said that he highlighted two in particular, in Sunnyhurst, Darwen, and Preston New Road, Blackburn, that should be saved.

Last week the Lancashire Telegraph went to Post Office headquarters to hand in petitions totalling more than 1,500 signatures.

Campaigns have taken place in this newspaper and among local residents associations to save the 24 branches threatened with closure.

Coun Rigby said: "I was arguing that we live in a deprived area where there are a lot of elderly people and a lot of people without a car.

"The Post Office representative understands the problems that we will suffer if they close these vital facilities but I don't know if it will be enough to save them."

A Post Office spokesman said: "The review process now starts in earnest and we have to make sure we are confident that our proposals to close a particular office are appropriate."