Aldwick Preservation Society has added the voices of its 1,000-plus members to the chorus of complaints about the threat to the Aldwick and Craigweil offices.

John Covell, the society's chairman, has told Post Office Ltd no reasoned argument had been put forward for the pair of neighbouring branches to be shut.

The Aldwick branch is sited within the Tudor Newsagency in Aldwick Street and the Craigweil branch in Craigweil News in Barrack Lane.

"Both these offices operate from within privately-owned retail outlets," said Mr Covell. "So it is difficult to understand to what extent the Post Office is 'losing money' for the provision of these services.

"The lack of any financial information in the consultation document makes it impossible to understand how the decision has been taken.

"If the Post Office is operating at a loss, then surely the start point for deciding on closures should be to identify the 2,500 offices operating at the greatest loss.

"I appreciate other factors have to be taken into account, but at least we should be able to see where these two offices come in the 'league table'.

"We currently have a good service, provided by dedicated people, that works for the local community.

"Why change it? You have provided no good reason and so I urge you to reconsider this plan."

He pointed out the lack of a bus service along Barrack Lane would mean the withdrawal of Craigweil post office would cause greater hardship to the area's residents.

A greater-than-average number of them were elderly and disabled who would be adversely affected by the closures. They would leave some of them more than one-and-a-half miles from their nearest surviving branch, he stated.

This situation was made worse because parking around the Rose Green branch was restricted and the small car park was privately owned.