Rob visits Lower Wroxham sub-post office which will close next month

But in a growing number of rural areas, the local PO is struggling to survive.

Closure

Take Lower Wroxham sub-post office in Norfolk.

It's closing next month because it's not getting the customers - and with it will go the newsagents and village store that Steven and Jayne Jones have run for 16 years.

Enterprise Stores has been up sale for the past three years but no-one wants it.

That's hardly surprising when you consider trade has fallen by 41% in the past year alone.

As a government drive to pay benefits and pensions into bank accounts electronically takes effect, there's no need for many people to use the post office.

And that means there's less demand for the other products it sells.

Community

Steven has been forced to take another job to make ends meet.

Jayne is opening a post office in a local petrol station

"It's a terrible shame after 16 years," says Jayne.

"Years ago if you could buy a shop with a post office you knew it would do good business.

"Now people just aren't interested."

There is another post office about a mile up the road but Jayne's customers have been telling her they prefer her smaller, friendly operation.

"It's not just a facility, it's part of the community," says Di McGilvray. "Life will be a lot sadder without it."

A buyer has been found for Enterprise Stores - they'll be turning it into a house to rent out.

Alternative

But Jayne hasn't given up entirely. She felt so guilty that the shop was having to close that she's negotiating to set up a post office at the nearby petrol station.

It will be open 27 hours a week and Jayne will be paid the �12,000 the Post Office pays its postmasters and postmistresses.

"I had to find a job and this is what I know how to do," she explains.

Of the 17,200 branches in the UK, nearly half are in rural areas with a population of less than 10,000.

Customers are disappointed that the shop is to shut

In an effort to stem huge losses, the Post Office has been closing down local branches.

Subsidy

But to help preserve the rural network, the government is paying a subsidy of �150m a year.

It runs until April 2006, and there is talk that the Trade Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, could extend it for another two years.

But the regulator, PostComm, believes the subsidy is too much and there should be 1,600 fewer rural POs.