'Use it or lose it'- that was the message from Storth’s post office subpostmaster who warned that dwindling custom could see the community’s post office close for good.

Maggie Roberts, who has been subpostmaster for three years at the post office inside Storth Village Shop, has said she has seen a sharp decline in the number of people using the service and fears the lack of custom could see the Post Office decide to close the branch.

“When we reopened after lockdown we did get quite a lot of custom," said Ms Roberts.

"But in the last couple of months I've noticed that business in the post office has declined and I'm worried that if it declines anymore the Post Office will say it's not worth us having an input in it anymore.

"There were some days last week when we only saw two customers."

The post office has been saved from closure once before in 2006 after the previous postmaster retired.

Residents clubbed together to take over the running of the store and post office with an army of volunteers, including seven who man the post office counter.

“We are a community shop, people in the village bought shares to buy the shop when it was going to close,” said Ms Roberts.

“The Post Office said you don’t do enough business so we can’t afford to pay a postmaster.

“There’s seven of us who are fully trained by the post office and 55 volunteers who work the shop."

Profits are pumped back into the community and are also donated to local causes such as Rosemere Cancer Foundation, St John's Hospice, Storth Primary School, the village hall and many more.

"Since we started in 2006 we've donated more than £70,000 to good causes," said Ms Roberts.

"Last year we bought a defibrillator to go in a telephone box in Carr Bank."

The former police officer has explained how residents can help the post office avoid a miserable fate.

"I've said to people if every household in the village came in and bought a stamp that would really help," she said.

And Ms Roberts is regularly inundated with phone calls from other post offices across the country who are experiencing the same situation.

"I'm giving a lot of help to a lot of little village shops," she added.