Following backlash triggered by an ITV drama, subpostmasters have urged people to continue supporting post offices in Worcestershire.

A social media outpouring of criticism against the ITV drama series, ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’, has put the livelihoods of local postmasters at risk.

The four-part show outlines the grievous Horizon scandal and has incited several viewers to boycott post offices nationwide.

 

 

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The scandal is touted as the United Kingdom's worst case of miscarriage of justice where over 700 postmasters were falsely held accountable for theft, fraud, and misrepresentation.

Post Office Ltd refuted any acknowledgement of blame resting with themselves for the Horizon system's faults.

NFSP Chief Executive Calum Greenhow, said: "I cannot be more delighted that the truth is finally being heard but saddened that it has taken 20 years of overcoming hurdles put in place by the leadership of this country and hundreds of millions of pounds of legal fees for that truth to finally come out."

He added that the animosity may unintentionally hurt individual postmasters, and not just the Post Office, thereby affecting their businesses and livelihoods.

Greenhow added: "From experience, the general public are very empathetic towards us as postmasters, but they may not realise that by boycotting Post Office Ltd, they harm our businesses.

"It is important to ensure that the general public are very much aware that as small businesspeople we want to remain at the heart of communities."

Post offices are often seen as the lifeblood of local communities, NFSP has said.

The majority of these establishments, almost 98%, are privately owned by postmasters who have invested their life savings into these businesses, and have been the most impacted by this scandal.

The post offices offers services like parcel and letter collection and dispatch, access to cash, utilities, banking, and governmental services, especially to the most vulnerable in the community, with NFSP adding that continued public support is instrumental in ensuring they can keep providing these services.