MP for Yeovil Constituency David Laws this week released the results of his recent survey into the plight of rural post offices.

The report is an in-depth survey of what postmasters think about the problems they face, in the next few years. It is based on the views of 24 out of the 34 post offices in South Somerset, and provides some "disturbing" statistics.

For example, a quarter of postmasters believe that their post offices will be shut within two years while half do not see themselves in business at all after that same period.

Postmasters predict major problems in accessing pensions and benefits through the Post Office from 2003.

Fifteen out of the 24 Postmasters say that over 40 per cent of their work today is on behalf of the Benefits Agency, but this will be lost to them next year.

Many postmasters derive 40 to 60 per cent of their income from processing benefits and pensions and four fifths do not expect to remain profitable when Benefit Agency income is lost to them next year.

Two thirds of sub-post offices provide the only shop available in smaller villages which if lost would make life very hard for the elderly, mothers with young children and those with no other forms of transport.

Almost all postmasters have no confidence in the Government's ability to implement a post office card account system for benefit and pension money.

Postmasters were also asked to reveal what they would like to see done to help them in the future. Answers revealed that almost all postmasters want the Government to pay realistic salaries to encourage and improve rural sub-post offices.

The Government should encourage banks to offer more services from sub-post offices.

The Government should speed up plans to involve post offices in schemes like "Your Guide" which provides advice and information on government services.

Speaking to the Clarion-Advertiser, Mr Laws said; "I launched this survey to get to the heart of sub-postmasters concerns about the future of their post offices, and to find out what action they would like to see the Government take. I found the results very disturbing.

"This comprehensive survey shows that our fragile post office network is at make or break point. Four fifths of postmasters believe that they will not be in profit next year and half think that they will have left the business completely in two years.

"Perhaps most worrying of all, a quarter of postmasters predict that their sub post offices will have been forced to shut within two years time. Almost all sub-postmasters agreed that the level of wages, advice and support they received was not good enough.

"I aim to use the views of our local postmasters to put pressure on the Government to produce serious and workable plans as soon as possible which represent a real commitment to the future of sub post-offices."