A Spennymoor community faces a fight to keep its post office which is due to shut down under a shake-up of the national branch network.

Councillors say they will lead the battle to save the Mount Pleasant branch, which Post Office Ltd has earmarked for closure in October.

The company is restructuring its service nationally because it says there are too many branches for too few customers in many towns and cities.

Government plans to pay benefits directly into people's bank accounts will mean that some businesses are no longer viable.

The Post Office said the decision to close Mount Pleasant was made with the agreement of the sub-postmaster.

David Mellows-Facer, head of area, said: "Even after any changes are made, well over 95 per cent of customers will still live within a mile of a Post Office branch.

"Having met with the sub-postmaster from this branch and also with other local sub-postmasters, we have concluded that, if the Mount Pleasant branch was to close, it would improve the long-term prospects of the other branches in the area.

"In particular, we have made sure that the Spennymoor Post Office branch in Oxford Street and Tudhoe Colliery branch on Attwood Terrace would be fully geared up to cope with extra customers."

John Khan, Sedgefield Borough councillor for Low Spennymoor and Tudhoe Grange, said: "It seems a shame that all the small post offices are closing. We have always had a post office in that community. It serves the Tudhoe Moor estate and a lot of people rely on it."

Spennymoor Town Council leader Bill Waters said: "I am sure that members will back the community if they want it to stay open. There are already long queues at peak times at the Spennymoor branch and there are a lot of old people who can't always get down there."

The Post Office has asked for the views of customers and other interested people before a final decision is taken. But recent campaigns to save branches in Durham and Chester-le-Street were unsuccessful.

Write to Mr David Mellows-Facer before August 21 at National Consultation Team, PO Box 641, St Albans, AL1 5XN.