Labour has admitted the elderly in rural areas would be hit hardest in plans to halve the total number of post offices.
It says 'nearly half' of all those nationwide are no longer profitable and subsidies are unsustainable, meaning nearly 6,000 of the 11,500 risk being scrapped.
Part-time ones which open a few days a week or share premises with other businesses are also threatened. Village post offices are most at risk, especially if they can't afford to open full-time.
The Government also suggests it could redefine what is meant by a 'branch'. This means 'drop and collect' boxes could count as post offices.
The threats are in the fine print of Labour's Future of Post Office consultation, which closes tomorrow.
