A LEADING Parliamentarian has joined dozens of villagers and schoolchildren in a protest against the threatened closure of a South Lakeland post office.

Vince Cable, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, and treasury spokesman, gave his support to the campaign against the closure of Beetham Post Office, and the closure of rural post offices in general.

The MP for Twickenham joined Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, at a protest outside Beetham Post Office, on Friday.

Beetham Post Office is one of 17 branches in South Lakeland, Furness and Eden that have been told they have been earmarked for closure as part of the Post Office Ltd's cost-cutting Network Change programme.

Around 20 pupils from nearby Beetham Primary School held homemade placards and chanted Save our Post Office' as the MPs arrived. Other villagers had gathered in a show of feeling against the Post Office Ltd's decision.

Mr Cable said that the plight of Beetham represented similar situations across the UK, threatening the existence of rural communities. The shadow chancellor also said that he would like postal chiefs to try to work with banks to introduce banking services in post offices as a way of increasing revenue, and therefore to prevent branch closures.

Mr Cable said that he was impressed by the number of villagers who had braved the wet weather to support their post office, and said it would be destructive if the branch were to be closed.

Lynn Wyse, sub-postmaster at Beetham Post Office, said that she was almost moved to tears by the support of the villagers.