Council leaders in Telford & Wrekin are gearing up to fight a round of Post Office closures they claim could “decimate” rural areas of the borough.The Tories believe branches in the area are likely to be earmarked for the axe in March.

But they have vowed to look after rural communities and plan to be ready to resist the closures.

Villages including Lilleshall and Tibberton have lost their post offices in recent years and borough regeneration chief Eric Carter said more going would be devastating.

He said all the rural branches were on tenterhooks ahead of the announcement.

The council would help start petitions, he said, and organise campaigns.

Its current Conservative administration is prepared to highlight the issue as the national Labour Government has planned the latest round of compulsory closures.

Councillor Carter, who represents Newport East, said he thought the speed of closures had speeded up in the past 10 years, under Labour. Last year it announced 2,500 more would be shut because fewer people are using them. Those earmarked for closure in Shropshire will be announced in March before a six-week consultation.

Plans for other areas have already been released.

“If we are the same as elsewhere it (closures) is certainly going to be something that’s going to happen,” said Councillor Carter.

He vowed the council would “do what we can to try and stop it” although it has no power to tell the Post Office what to do.

“Some places have been decimated by losing their post offices,” he added. Councillor Carter will raise the matter at the full borough council on Thursday.