THREE more post offices in Leigh are to close this summer, despite protests from the public.

The three: Lowton Post Office, in Church Lane, Lowton; St Mary's Post Office, in Newton Road, and St Lukes Lowton Post Office, in Stone Cross Lane, will shut on Thursday, August 23.

They will be replaced by a new branch, to be called Lowton Post Office, which is scheduled to open on Monday, August 22, inside the Londis convenience store in Newton Road.

The closures which were announced in November, are part of a national programme by Post Office Counters.

More than 1,600 people signed a petition protesting about the closures and Leigh MP Andy Burnham raised the matter in Parliament. Other branches at Plank Lane, Scowcroft Street, St Helens Road and Wigan Road all closed their doors earlier this year.

A Post Office spokesman said: "Proposals to close post offices are not made without considerable research and discussion - our aim is to safeguard access to a post office for all communities. The harsh reality is that many urban offices were struggling to survive."