People living in Thornhill, Dewsbury met at the local working men's club on Wednesday evening.

Dewsbury South Tory councillor Khizar Iqbal said he had been astounded by the turnout, which was to discuss ways of stopping the planned closure of the post office on Edge Lane.

The branch had been among dozens of Yorkshire branches listed for closure by the Government. Consultation on the closure plans is under way.

Coun Iqbal said: "We are going to campaign and it will be a very robust campaign. I believe this is the wrong decision. It looks bad, it sounds bad and it is bad. It is devastating for the local community. There are a lot of people in this area who are elderly, or infirm, or who do not have access to private transport.

Petition

"We will go to any lengths to fight this closure. We have started a petition and we will deliver that to Number 10 if we have to. The impact on the community will be massive. We have done a lot of work in recent times in terms of bringing the community together but this removal of a vital service undermines that and it undermines people's confidence in the system. The Edge Lane post office is well used and it ought not to close."

Coun Iqbal said he had also urged local people to write to Royal Mail individually about the plans.

In July, the Yorkshire Evening Post revealed how Post Office bosses announced the closure of 22 Yorkshire branches, a move described by Leeds North West Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland as "an absolute scandal".

The Post Office said the closure of 2,500 branches nationwide was needed to maintain a sustainable network.