POST office bosses are shutting branches on a temporary basis but then are failing to re-open some for at least a year, it has been claimed.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed Post Offices in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton; Newton Aycliffe; Eldon Lane, near Bishop Auckland, Kelloe, near Durham and Redcar have all been shut temporarily for more than five years.

Others in the region have been closed for more than a year despite no plans by the Post Office to close them on a permanent basis.

The Communication Workers’ Union has branded the situation ridiculous and claimed the Post Office is letting down communities in the region which rely in the service.

However, a spokesman for the Post Office denied any of the branches were closing and said it is committed to seeing them reopen.

Last month a branch in Forest-in-Teesdale re-opened after it had been closed for more than five years.

The spokesman said: “There is no closure programme and the size of the Post Office network in the North-East remains broadly stable as for example there were 489 open and trading in March 2014 compared with 491 in March 2011.

“There is no natural churn in the network and there can be occasions when Post Office branches do temporarily close for reasons beyond our control, and in these cases a branch will only remain vacant for a period where no suitable premises or an applicant for the role of postmaster has been identified, and we will always work hard to restore the service.”

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, added: “Every day those Post Offices are closed local communities are going without essential services.