IT'S difficult to think of anything which has caused more anger across East Lancashire in the past year than the decision to shut 24 of the area's Post Offices.

The organisation has made clear that it intends to go ahead with the closures to try to stem losses running at £4million a week despite the fact that it will make life extremely difficult for a lot of people who have no alternative way of accessing the services provided at local Post Offices.

Now having previously ruled out taking over these services themselves, as council colleagues in Essex hope to do, we learn that Blackburn with Darwen council is apparently discussing with the county council the possibility of doing just that - at least with some of them.

Although it might be a commitment too far for the local authorities to take over all 24 offices that face closure there might well be a viable way of keeping a proportion of them in business perhaps as a community resource alongside all the other neighbourhood facilities these councils already run.

If it was possible to find a way of avoiding these closures one thing is for certain.

Many people, particularly those relying on public transport, would be extremely grateful.