A CAMPAIGN has been launched to save Dorset's rural post offices from the axe.

Dorset Community Action fears changes in funding will see the demise of many of the county's post offices and village shops over the next two years.

The action group is urging people to sign a petition calling on the government to take urgent steps to prevent the decline in services.

It also wants them to write to their local MP expressing their concerns.

Dorset Community Action believes the threat faced by the rural post office network in Dorset as a result of the potential end of the Social Network Payment - a £110m government subsidy - in March 2008 will have "disastrous consequences".

Spokesman Simon Thompson said: "It would not only mean the end of local access to postal services but also to other services including pensions, benefits, banking and in some cases vehicle excise licences.

"Post offices and shops are often the hub of community and village life and provide informal support and help to many local residents. This will be lost as well.

"Closures would affect the most vulnerable members of our community - older people, people with disabilities, those on low incomes and those without access to transport."

And Mr Thompson added: "While Dorset Community Action accepts that some consideration must be given to financial concerns, it must not be the only priority and due attention should be given to alternative cost-saving methods of providing these services locally."

Anyone wishing to sign the petition can download a copy from the group's website on www.dorsetcommunityaction.org