Several campaigns are now emerging to protect postal services

A campaign has been launched on the Save Your Post Office website to drum up support for Dingwall's West End branch.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat MP Danny Alexander has given his backing to a call to restore services at Balloch.

The branch near Inverness has been closed since August 2006.

Mr Alexander, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said Post Office Ltd had previously committed to restoring a service as soon as the new owners could be found.

Earlier this week, a Cromarty community's campaign to keep its post office open won backing.

Reduced services

Highland Council has set up a discussion forum on its website and will forward the comments received to Post Office Ltd.

Plans to cut or downgrade almost 30 post offices in some of Scotland's most rural areas were announced earlier this month.

Proposals for the Highlands would see 18 branches closed and 11 replaced by reduced services.

The Post Office said most residents in the area would see no change to their current service, or would be within a mile from an alternative branch.