POST office staff have been ‘rushed off their feet’ after they warned that dwindling custom could result in the closure of the service.

Storth residents have rallied to protect Storth Village Shop and Post Office after subpostmaster Maggie Roberts said the post office had seen a sharp decline in the number of customers using it.

And she warned that if the worrying trend continued for much longer it could see the post office close for good.

But since then the counter has seen a surge in customers coming back to use the community service, which was saved from closure once before by residents in 2006 after the previous postmaster retired.

Residents clubbed together to take over the running of the store and post office with an army of volunteers, including seven who man the post office counter.

“We’ve seen a big improvement,” said Ms Roberts.

“We’ve been rushed off our feet.

“Things have picked up in the last two or three weeks.

“We’ve been really busy and people keep coming in and saying we’re coming in and we’re going to keep coming in because we don’t want the post office to close.

“I’m grateful to all our customers and if it carries on like this then I think we’re going to be fine.”

Profits from the business are pumped back into the community and are also donated to local causes such as Rosemere Cancer Foundation, St John's Hospice, Storth Primary School, the village hall and many more.

“When people come into the shop and the post office any profits we make after running costs go into the community," said Ms Roberts.

“We’re spending quite a lot of money on doing up the village green and the cenotaph.

"We're getting all new plants in and we're getting a contractor to clean the memorial.

"It's at the centre of the village so we want it to look nice."