It's not fair to be running here, there and everywhere

ANGER AT POTENTIAL CLOSURE OF LIFELINE POST OFFICES AROUND GREATER MANCHESTER

- CHRIS SLATER, GEORGE LYTHGOE, DECLAN CAREY, CHARLOTTE HALL AND GRETA SIMPSON

THE post office in Prestwich is so busy, the queue snakes all the way to the entrance and one family is left waiting outside with a bundle of Christmas packages to send off to family abroad.

Despite being as bustling as always, the mood in the branch is sombre. The post office is one of eight in Greater Manchester that are at risk of closure.

Bosses are looking to offload 115 directly-owned Crown Post Offices in the 11,500 branch network - either by transferring them to retail partners or postmasters, or closing them down.

One elderly lady teared up when asked by the M.E.N. how she felt about the potential closure.

Linda, 75, a Prestwich local, relies on the Post Office for banking and paying her bills and claims she'd have to travel as far as Bury if the branch closed.

"I'm bloody livid," she said. "I'm 75.

I'm disabled. Every single bank in Prestwich has shut down. Because I'm disabled, I don't have a car anymore. I'm so furious I'm nearly crying."

And Barbara Castle, 84, also felt 'dead upset' about the potential change. She said: "It's not fair at my age to be running here, there and everywhere. I can't grasp all this technology anymore. It's all going too fast for me."

Seven other Greater Manchester branches Didsbury Village; Barnes Green in Harpurhey; Eccles, Salford; Hyde, Tameside; Leigh, Bury; Stockport town centre and Salford precinct - are also among those under threat.

And across the region, there's a feeling that it's especially older people and those with lower levels of digital literacy who would be 'left out on a limb!