CHURCHES in Worcestershire are being urged to consider doubling as a post office in communities that lose their services in the latest round of cuts.

The Rev Robert Barlow, Worcester Diocese chaplain for agriculture and rural life, is asking churches across the county to look at whether they can offer a practical replacement.

The suggestion comes after the Government announced it would be closing 2,500 post offices across the country to slim down the network.

"I am just asking the churches if they can do it.

In some cases it will be yes and in others it will be no," he said.

"It will not be a bad thing if churches start to think now about what they might be able to do. We don't know which post offices will close yet but we only have 18 months before they shut. It might be better for the church to provide transport to the next village to make sure that post office is sustainable.

"I am asking churches to think creatively about what they can do."

On Friday, the Worcester News reported that 40 to 50 sub-post offices are expected to close in Worcestershire and Herefordshire by the end of next year as part of the Government's plans.

Critics have already warned that half the closures will happen in towns and cities, leaving rural areas to cope with the rest.

Mr Barlow said one in five people in rural areas was living in poverty and did not have transport to reach a post office three miles away.

He suggested that people making decisions in London did not always realise what it was like for those in the rest of the country.

Anyone interested in finding out more should contact Mr Barlow on 01886 821339.