Heene Road, The Strand, Downlands, and The Parade in Broadwater Road are at risk in this latest round of closures, which is being opposed by the county council in its Stamp Out Post Office Closures campaign.

John Livermore, chairman of the Worthing county councillors' committee, said: "These closures will undoubtedly cause increased congestion on the roads as people will have to travel further to reach a post office.

"For those without their own transport – and particularly for older people – it will become very difficult to access a local post office. There is only a six-week consultation period for the proposals, which is very tight for such a crucial issue.

"As Worthing County Local Committee, we would very much like to hear your views, which will be fed into the county council's overall response to the proposals."

Mr Livermore can be emailed at John.Livermore@westsussex.gov.uk or contact the local member relating to the post office near you:
• Heene Road – Clive.Roberts@westsussex.gov.uk
• The Strand – Steve.Waight@westsussex.gov.uk and Keith.Mercer@westsussex.gov.uk
• The Parade, Broadwater Road, and Downlands Parade – Donald.Lissenburg@westsussex.gov.uk or Peter.Green@westsussex.gov.uk

Residents can also write to the above county councillors at West Sussex County Council, County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RQ.
The deadline for responses to the public consultation is Monday, December 24.

Customers at The Strand have welcomed the initiative of local businessman Churchill Semple in distributing window posters to shops in Strand Parade.

The posters outline reasons why the post office should not be closed, and Mr Semple said: "Everybody is in favour of them, but who knows what is going to happen?"

Michael Wilkins, sub-postmaster of the Downlands outlet, said: "The customers are very sad about it, but we will just have to wait and see what happens."

West Sussex County Council leader Henry Smith said: "The closure of 21 post offices in West Sussex is an absolute outrage. Of these closures, three are rural post offices, the others are in urban areas, with a concentration on the coastal strip.

"These facilities in our urban neighbourhoods are every bit as important as those in rural areas. If these branches close, it will lead to increased congestion on the roads as people have to travel further to reach a post office, having an environmental impact.

"I would urge everyone to respond to the Post Office consultation against the proposals. These closures could rip the heart out of local communities."

Frank Wilkinson, county council adviser on rural issues, said: "We cannot allow the Post Office to close these branches which are such a vital part of our communities."

Worthing Lib Dems have tabled a notice of motion to the next full borough council meeting on December 15, protesting against the closures and calling on the government to stop them.

They have also launched an on-line petition opposing the government's "unnecessary" closure programme.