'Save the post office' posters have gone up along the lanes and the building which houses the post office and the village shop is draped in a huge banner.

Now people from a wide area, from Stedham to Milland, who use the service, are planning a demonstration on Saturday February 16.
It will take place outside the post office at 10am.

Sub-postmaster James Williams said it was hoped many people would turn out to demonstrate the strength of local feeling against the
proposal to replace the Redford facility with an outreach service.

Mr Williams added: "We are also hoping as many as 600 letters are being written to the Post Office."

Pressure on the Post Office to open up its books and reveal the financial case for closing branches in West Sussex is being stepped up by the county council.

This was revealed as county councillors condemned the consultation over closures as a sham, with one of them, Cllr Derek Whittington, describing it as 'a consultation in name only'.

Another, Cllr Carson Albury, said it was 'dictation, not consultation'.

Speaking at a meeting of the strategic environmental services select committee, county council leader Cllr Henry Smith said Essex had had some successes in asking the Post Office to open its books on the financial case.

"And they found the economic case wasn't stacking up," he said.

He added: "We have asked the Post Office to open the books so that we can make comments about sustainability. Closures may not be making commonsense."

Ana Fajado, economic development manager, said the questions had been asked, but the Post Office was saying it could not open the books
for public consumption because the information would be revealed to its
competitors.

"But we are pursuing this further, and will ask for the information we need," said Ms Fajado.

The county council had been looking at how local businesses would be affected, with concerns about the effect on shops.

It appeared West Sussex was being hit harder by closures than other areas, with the proportion of closures higher.

Cllr Louise Goldsmith, cabinet member for the environment and economy, strongly criticised the government's 'disgraceful' closure policy, when it claimed to support the idea of sustainable communities.

"We have to tell the government that this is outrageous," she declared.

Chairman Cllr Clive Roberts said: "We can make noises about this, but my instinct tells me it won't make any difference."

Cllr Albury said: "We have to fight this, and we have to try. But quite frankly, it is wasting our time and money."