SENIOR Burnley councillors have slammed plans to close seven post offices in the town.

The council was asked for its view on the proposed closures as part of the public consultation exercise, which ends today.

At a meeting of the Executive Committee members agreed that it was important to retain the post offices under threat.

Council leader, Councillor Stuart Caddy said the post offices were a vital and integral part of the community.

He was supported by Coun Peter Kenyon who said that the proposed closures would have a serious impact on residents in his own Queensgate ward.

He said: "We don't want to see these branches closed for reasons solely to do with the commercial interests of the Post Office."

Coun Kenyon added that the council would be directly affected by the closures because it would reduce the number of places where residents could pay their council tax.

Mike Cook, head of regeneration and development at the council, said the majority of the branches under threat were located in, or serviced, some of the most deprived areas of the borough.

He said: "They are also in the areas that are about under go significant change and are therefore currently experiencing instability.

"All of the work we are doing in these areas is about trying to pull communities together and give people living there hope that there is a future for these areas.

"Post offices are extremely important facilities and the loss of these will have a significant impact on the communities they serve."

Royal Mail announced earlier this year that it planned to close 12 post offices in Burnley and Pendle to protect the viability of the other 26 branches in the area.

The post offices threatened with closure in Burnley are Accrington Road, Briercliffe Road, Brunshaw, Oxford Road, Queen Victoria Road, Queensgate and Stoneyholme.

Last week Burnley MP Peter Pike and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Labour Kitty Ussher met with post office bosses for two hours to put the case against the closures on behalf of local people.

The public consultation period ends today and the Post Office is likely to make a final decision next month.