A WISBECH post office has been abandoned to its fate by the county wide protest group set up to argue against threatened closures. Harecroft Road Post Office will learn today that the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Post Office Network Change Group (PONCG

A WISBECH post office has been abandoned to its fate by the county wide protest group set up to argue against threatened closures.

Harecroft Road Post Office will learn today that the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Post Office Network Change Group (PONCG) will not fight to keep it.

"PONCG recognises that for the Post Office network to be viable in the longer term, there is no option but to implement some closures," says their report published today.

PONCG said they will still oppose individual post office closures if they meet certain criteria- but the Wisbech post office is not among them.

The lobby group is, however, supporting the retention of a post office in March threatened with closure but accepts an outreach service to Christchurch is acceptable.

The group is also keen to preserve a fourth Fenland post office threatened with permanent closure, at Benwick which they hope will re-open in the village pub.

PONCG produced their 33 page report into the Post Office plans for Cambridgeshire but have agreed to make no comment on the threatened closure of half of them.

But the group is lining up to do battle with Post Office chiefs over the proposed closure of the rest- particularly where they feel communities will suffer unfairly.

Fenland District Council is among the local authorities represented on PONCG which also draws on members from county wide business organisations and Age Concern.

Today is the final date for consultation over the closures. The Post Office said the cutbacks were necessary to make the service sustainable and most people would still be within a mile of a post office.

The move is part of wider proposals to reduce the number of branches nationwide by up to 2,500.