And, according to one councillor, three of them could be in Todmorden.

Ruth Goldthorpe said she believed branch offices at Shade, Rochdale Road and Burnley Road, Portsmouth, could be closed.

"People are frightened about the possibility of them going because in the last closure programme three were closed in Todmorden," she said.

"Post Offices offer a vital service to the community and for a number of elderly people it is quite often a regular social spot."

In 2005, post offices were closed at Queen's Road, Hanson Lane, Siddal, Lee Mount, Illingworth, Bradshaw, and Huddersfield Road, Halifax.

The Post Office has refused to confirm if the Todmorden branches are among the current eight.

Details will not be formally known until May 13. It will be followed by six weeks of consultation.

Ann McAllister, Conservative leader of the council, said: "We regret the closure of any post office as it is a valuable community asset.

"When we know which post offices are scheduled for closure we will examine each instance entirely and campaign to stop the closure."

All together 2,500 are under threat nationwide out of a total of 14,000. The programme involves the compulsory compensated closure of branches.

Around 500 will be replaced with "outreach" service points for small, remote communities, including mobile post offices and services in village halls, community centres or pubs.

During the last round of closures, Tim Swift (Lab, Town) campaigned unsuccessfully to save the branch at Siddal.

He said: "It is difficult to make any comment because we don't know which ones are to close.

"We wish the list could be published as soon as possible so we know which ones are threatened and so we can see what work needs to be done to support the community."

John Warman, spokesman for Communities Against Post Office Closure, said people should fight to keep their branches open – but only if they were viable.

He said: "We need to look at the facts and figures for the post office and decide whether it has enough custom to remain open. Only then should they fight.

"The problem is that the Government is closing branches that are viable."

According to the Government, the closures are necessary because of the dip in business over recent years and losses of £4 million a week.

Its annual £150 million subsidy to help rural offices will be maintained until at least 2011.

In March, Calder Valley MP Chris McCafferty and Halifax MP Linda Riordan voted with the Govern-ment in support of the closures.

But now Mrs Riordan has said she will try to arrange a meeting with the minister responsible for the post network to discuss the importance of the Halifax branches.

She said: "I will be reiterating to him how important local branch post offices are to the people they serve.

"Future plans for Halifax's post offices have not been announced yet but I am hopeful that a good network of post offices will be main- tained across all communities."

Post offices face a long-term challenge.

Internet, e-mail and text-messaging have meant people are increasingly using the phone or internet banking, cashpoint machines or direct debits to pay bills.

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