EMERGENCY talks are being held in Calstock after the shock announcement that the village post office is to close next Monday.

Post Office Limited met with parish councillors on Tuesday night in the hope of finding a solution following the resignation of subpostmaster Avron Levine and the withdrawal of the post office from his general stores in the village.

This is the second post office in the Calstock parish to close in two years — Albaston's 102-year-old post office went by the wayside in 2008 following a post office review when more than 40 in the county were closed.

Mr Levine said he could no longer carry on because it was just not economical for him to run a post office anymore: 'The post office pays below the minimum wage and I have been subsidising it by £5,000 or £6,000 a year,' he said.

'It's been an enormous financial burden. The post office has been here for five years and it has always been heavily subsidised by the shop but I am not able to sustain it in the current financial climate. It's just impossible.'

Mr Levine said he was confident that Post Office Limited would find an alternative location or some sort of outreach service that would satisfy the needs of the community.

External relations manager for Post Office Limited Jaquie Stenson said: 'Calstock Post Office is due to close on September 13 following the resignation of the subpostmaster and the premises being withdrawn. Post Office Limited is keen to maintain a service in the area and we are working with the local community to find a solution. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience.

Mrs Stenson said if anyone had any suggestions or was interested in applying for the service they should contact Colin Pound who was working with the local community to relocate the post office. He could be contacted by email at [email protected]">[email protected]

Calstock parish councillor Norma Greenslade said she had received several phone calls from concerned people who used the post office a lot.

'People want to know what is happening,' she said.

'It would be a real loss to the village if there was no post office. When the post office at The Quay at Calstock closed we had a van that came around but it was not really satisfactory because it was not very confidential and people waiting had to stand out in the rain.

'Now Albaston is closed the nearest post office is Gunnislake or St Ann's Chapel but this is no good if people do not have transport. Hopefully we can sort out an alternative for the people of Calstock.'