Sub-postmaster Colin Ayre was awarded a productivity bonus last month for boosting business at his St Mary's Field office in Church Walk, Morpeth.

But now he has been told the outlet is unviable and is listed for closure in the Post Office's National Change Programme.

"They give me a productivity bonus one month and the next tell me the business is unviable," he said.

"We are doing all we can to save the post office, but the bottom line is these decisions are not made in Morpeth. They are made not because of what we have got, but despite what we've got.

"These people have no idea of where facilities or services are in an area. It is a total farce."

Mr Ayre has also spoken of his concerns for customers.

"Apart from hitting me, this is going to hit the old folk the hardest," he said.

"I run a shop here, which sells everything, and the old people come in to have a chat, do a bit of browsing and get what they need, not just from the post office.

"These people fought a war so we can have our liberty and now they are going to suffer.

"There's this idea that it will be a nice sunny day and they will get a Postman Pat bus to take them to another post office, which will wait to bring them home again and drop them off at the door.

"The reality is it will be raining, they will have to go to a bus shelter at Kirkhill that people have urinated, drunk and used drugs in, and then they will have to wait for a bus for I don't know how long. When they finally get to the post office they will come out with a bag full of money and will have to wait at the bus station to get home. That is what we are going to put them through.

"The old folk are often nervous and they like things to stay the same. A lot of people have been coming to my branch for years. They trust us with their pensions and their card accounts. When they have been ill I have taken their things to them. Soon they will have to go to a foreign place with foreign people. I doubt they'll get the same service."

Two of the four staff at Mr Ayre's shop will be made redundant if the post office closure goes ahead, but he said all, including himself, could yet be put out of a job.

And he added that it would save the Government more money in the long run to keep offices open.

"I've got a shop here, but I do rely on the post office so it is vulnerable. If I have 1,000 customers in a day to use them both and that drops to 500 can I continue with half the turnover? I will have to wait to find out," he said.

"If there are 2,500 post offices closing around the country, following the 2,500 in the previous avalanche, that is 5,000 branches where the workers will now be on benefits. Surely that money will take up any savings in closing the post offices.