COUNCILLORS from neighbouring author-ities have joined forces in a bid to stop post office closures in their area.

Hyndburn and Rossendale Councils have launched a Post Office Partnership' campaign to encourage local businesses to use facilities at their nearest branches.

The move adds weight to the Lancashire Telegraph's Save Our Posts Offices campaign, to save 24 post offices which are set to be axed.

Plans to close the branches - which make up a quarter of East Lancashire's service provision - come as a result of the government seeking to reduce the £4million-a-week it is losing on the Post Office network.

But campaigners argue the closures will rip the heart out of local communities.

Four post offices in Hyndburn are set to close, along with two in Rossendale. One of the offices, Longshoot in Haslingden, is on the border of the two boroughs.

Hyndburn Council leader Coun Peter Britcliffe said: "The government continues to reduce grants to post offices, and over the years there has been a reduction in the services that they can deliver.

"Unless this changes we will soon be campaigning against the closure of the last post office in the country"

Coun Gladys Sandiford, of Rossendale Council, added: "We will to campaign to keep Longshoot open. They haven't considered customers will have to trek over a mile to the next post office, which is not easy for elderly people. They don't seem to have considered that this proposed closure isn't even on a bus route."

The owners of Longshoot Post Office, Ravi and Benita Sethi, have presented Hynd-burn MP Greg Pope with a petition signed by more than 800 people.

Mr Pope said: "The next nearest post office is in Deardengate. This is much needed, much loved branch and certainly needs to stay."

Protesters will be attending a public signing event at St Mary's Primary School, Lime Road, Haslingden, from 11am tomorrow.