SHADOW Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May came to Taunton to highlight the threat of post office closures.

Mrs May met Shuttern sub-postmaster Simon Eveleigh with local Conservative spokesman Mark Formosa to discuss Government plans to shut 2,500 branches nationwide.

Mr Formosa said that could mean six of the 36 Taunton and Wellington area offices closing in the next two years.

He added: "By the time of the next election, Gordon Brown will have closed over one-third of the entire Post Office network.

"I fear local communities across Taunton Deane will lose their only shop, and vulnerable people will lose a service they rely upon."

Mrs May said she wanted more sub-post offices to become one-stop shops' selling more items.

She added: "I know Mark Formosa has been working hard here in Taunton Deane to raise these issues and to support local post offices, so I was pleased to visit him in the constituency and meet local people with him to hear their concerns."

Mr Eveleigh, whose grandmother has owned Shuttern post office for 43 years, said: "Because the Government won't tell anybody until next year which branches it's going to close, we have to work in an atmosphere of uncertainty and it's difficult to make any plans for the future."