PENSIONER power has won the day after a group of elderly residents took on electricity giants Norweb in a battle to pay their bills in their local post office.

Residents at Hunters Lodge sheltered accommodation launched their campaign back in February when Norweb closed its electricity showrooms and announced that 13 Blackburn Post Offices could be used to pay bills - but Cherry Tree, on Preston Old Road, was not one of them.

But after collecting a 500-name petition, the strong-willed senior citizens - aged between 70 and 94 - finally won their battle to have a fully automated billing facility installed in Cherry Tree Post Office just yards away from their homes.

The machine means that residents do not have to travel miles to pay their bills and the machine also accepts electricity tokens and stamps. Campaign leader Eveline Mattinson said: "This is a great day for all the community and I did it for them and not just for myself. There are a lot of elderly and infirm residents in the area and I am delighted and cannot thank Norweb enough. It has been a long battle but I am glad all our hard work has not gone unrewarded."

Throughout the campaign the pensioners had the support of Councillor John Williams, former councillor Jack Tarbuck, and Sub Postmaster Idris Ali. Coun Williams said: "This is not just for the residents of Hunters Lodge and Cherry Tree but the residents of Feniscowles and further afield as well. It means they do not have to travel great distances."

And Mr Ali, who laid on a celebration buffet for some of the residents, paid special tribute to the pensioners of Hunters Lodge for never giving up their fight.

He said: "They have shown tremendous spirit which in the end has benefited the whole community. The number of names collected shows that there was a need for such a machine and I am glad to see that Norweb have let common sense prevail."

A spokesman for Norweb said: "We always listen to the requests of our customers and installing the machine at Cherry Tree is just one of on ongoing project to have as many Post Offices as possible fitted with fully automated machines."

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