How the closure story broke

This story appeared on the BBC News Front Page in October and contains a brief interview with Colin.

The Royal Mail is to announce the closure of 31 post offices in south Wales next week, it has been claimed.

The South Wales Echo newspaper claims six post offices in Cardiff and 25 across the valleys, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan will shut.

Plans for the rest of Wales are expected to be revealed in coming months.

A Post Office Ltd spokesman said it would be giving details of the proposals next Tuesday.

The spokesman said: "The public consultation for the proposed changes to the Post Office network in the Cardiff and Glamorgan valleys area will start on Tuesday and will last for six weeks, in line with the agreed process.

"At this time, we will be announcing details of the proposals, which will also be available on the Post Office website."

Gurmit Randhawa, who has run the post office in Sanquahar Street in Splott, Cardiff with his wife Harbrinder for the past 20 years, said: "People are devastated by the decision.

"There is one old lady who is in her 90s who has been coming here since she was a child. She is asking me what is she going to do."

"We knew that there were going to be proposals to cut some post offices but we thought it would be those that are making a loss, not ones like this that are making money."

"They are going to close two post offices in Splott. People are just devastated, they are talking about holding demonstrations."

Colin Cranness, who has run the Swan Street post office in Llantrisant for the past 16 years, said: "I realise that the Post Office has to save money, but it comes as a shock when you are earmarked, you don't think you'll be one on the list".

Mr Cranness, 57, said it would also mean the shop on the premises will also have to shut, not just the post office counter.

"The shop is not viable on its own without the post office. This will be a real blow for Llantrisant.

"I think the community will get behind it and we will get something going to try and save it."

'Changing lifestyles'

Liberal Democrats in Cardiff have launched a website to oppose the closures in the city.

Cardiff Central AM Jenny Randerson said she was "appalled" that the Salisbury Road branch in Cathays appeared to be on the list.

"This is just the sort of post office branch that would have been able to expand and prosper if the Labour assembly government hadn't abolished the Post Office Development Fund," she said.

About 2,500 post offices - a fifth of those left in the UK - are to close by 2009, the UK government confirmed in May.

The list of closures in south Wales is around a sixth of those in the local network.

The then Trade Secretary Alistair Darling said there were four million fewer customers using post offices every week in the UK than two years ago and they were losing £4m a week.

He said new technology and "changing lifestyles" had an effect.

Pension and child benefits can now be paid directly into bank accounts while TV licences, driving licences, passports and tax discs are now being supplied online and through other shops.

CLOSURE LIST

Bridgend: Rhoslanog, Parc Newydd

Cardiff: Salisbury Rd, Cathays; Evansfield Rd, Llandaff North; Newport Rd, St Mellons; Pill St, Cogan; Sanquahar St and Splott Rd, Splott; Cowbridge Rd/Neville St, Canton

Cynon Valley: Gadlys Rd and Merthyr Rd, Llwydcoed, Aberdare; Glancynon, Abercynon; Glyn Gwyn St, Miskin; Penderyn Comm Centre, Penderyn

Merthyr: Chapel St, Abercarnaid; Dan-Y-Twyn, Quakers Yard Station Sq, Merthyr Vale

Rhymney Valley: Bristol Terr, Brithdir; Jerusalem St, Rhymney

Pontypridd area: Swan St, Llantrisant; Cardiff Rd, Nantgarw; Graigwen Rd, Graigwen; Hopkinstown Rd, Hopkinstown; Leyshon St, The Graig; Tynybryn Rd, Tonyrefail

Rhondda: Ynyswen Rd, Abergorky; Commercial St, Blaenllechau; Miskin Rd, Trealaw; Court St, Blaenclydach; PO at Spar, Llewellyn St, Pentre; Trehafod Rd, Trehafod
Vale of Glamorgan: High St, Barry

Source: South Wales Echo