THE economic viability of a village shop on Exmoor is being threatened by the unreliability of equipment for its vital outreach Post Office service.

Winsford Stores lost its permanent Post Office provision under cuts affecting a number of rural outlets in West Somerset a couple of years ago.

But since then it has had a twice weekly visiting service provided by Watchet Post Office, giving villagers two two-hour windows of opportunity to tap into a range of facilities.

However, shop owner Peter Lawson, who took over the business four years ago with his wife Jenny, said the portable Post Office equipment was continually breaking down.

"The service provided by Watchet Postmaster Graham Kennedy is excellent but the problems with the equipment is really having an impact on our business and putting its future at risk," said Mr Lawson.

"When people can't use the Post Office service, they go elsewhere and that usually means they do the rest of their shopping elsewhere as well.

"A lot people in Winsford don't drive so the shop is a vital facility."

Mr Lawson said Mr Kennedy had even offered to buy his own equipment but had been told by the Post Office that was not possible.

Mr Kennedy told the Free Press that he had complained about the problems with the equipment, which had failed to work on at least ten occasions within the last three months.

Watchet Post Office also provides an outreach service to Lydeard St Lawrence, operating from the village hall, which has also been hit by the problems.

Mr Kennedy said on one occasion when the equipment had failed, one of his staff had driven back to Watchet to process the work and returned to Lydeard St Lawrence to deliver it back individually to customers.

"That is the sort of community service people are getting from us but I'm afraid that is not matched by the Post Office - they are letting everyone down."

A spokesman for Post Office Ltd said: "We apologise to our customers and our agent at Winsford for the inconvenience caused by the intermittent faults with the portable Post Office kit.

"The matter has been reported to our engineers who are doing all they can to identify and resolve the problem."