A PARTIALLY-SIGHTED 86-year-old is taking on the might of the Post Office after launching a campaign to save one of Burnley's closure-threatened branches.

Former mayor Irene Cooney has organised a rota of volunteers to stand outside the Queen Victoria Road branch to lobby pensioners to sign a petition opposing the proposed closure.

The band of 10 volunteers will take it in turns to stand outside the branch for a week, starting today.

The Royal Mail announced the plans to shut 12 branches across Burnley and Pendle earlier this month saying it was to protect the viability of the other 26 branches in the area.

Mrs Cooney, who lives in Queen Victoria Road, said: "I don't want to lose my little bit of independence, which will be the case if the branch is closed.

"I can just about get there at the moment but the nearest other branch is Colne Road which is across two main roads. I would need a guide to take me and there are others in the same position as me.

"There is also the issue that people will be collecting pensions and wandering around with cash further away from home. When the Victoria Hospital closure was proposed, we did the same thing and stood outside lobbying.

"So I had the idea of doing a similar thing when we heard about the post office proposals.

"Hopefully, by taking a stand, we will set an example for others to follow."

Burnley MP Peter Pike has said plans to close the facilities could rip communities apart and would cause problems, particularly for older people who relied on post offices for their pensions.

He said: "I have known Irene Cooney for many years and she has always been a good battler on a number of issues, so I am not surprised at what she is doing.

"I will be interested to see how she gets on."

Mr Pike will meet representatives from the Royal Mail next month to discuss the closures.

The threatened post offices in Burnley are: Accrington Road, Briercliffe Road, Brunshaw, Oxford Road, Queen Victoria Road, Queensgate and Stoneyholme.

In Pendle, post offices in Burnley Road, Colne; Leeds Road, Scotland Road and St Johns, all in Nelson and New Bridge, Barrowford, are threatened.

The Royal Mail is carrying out consultation for residents to air their concerns before a final decision is made, probably in August.

A spokesman said: "People are at liberty to do as they see fit, but if they are opposed to closures the best thing they can do is contact our consultation team in Watford."