At a full council meeting last Thursday, members expressed concerns not only about current closure plans but also about the possible impact of the withdrawal of the Post Office card account in 2010.

And they called on Post Office Ltd to work closely with Fife Partnership before finalising their list of closures, which includes branches in Pathhead and Cardenden.

Council leader Peter Grant believes the closures could be a disaster for Fife.

He said: "It would be a tragedy for Fife which could potentially rip the heart out of the communities involved – although the Council would redouble its efforts to find new investment for the areas affected.

"They might win the battle this time but we will be ready for them next time around."

Leader of the opposition Alex Rowley agreed and said it is vital everyone makes their voices heard about the proposals.

The consultation on this round of closures finishes on Tuesday and Cllr Rowley hopes as many people as possible submit their views to the Post Office.

A number of threatened branches are located in places where rural isolation would cause significant problems accessing another branch.

When the plans were announced, users of Pathhead Post Office were outraged by the news.

Sub postmaster at Pathhead, Andrew Ross (59) said: "The only reason I have been given is that I am within a mile of another post office, and it doesn't seem that they have taken anything else into account.

"The sign about the proposed closure only went up and all the customers who have come in have been very upset and angry."

Post Office Ltd's network development manager for Scotland Sally Buchanan said taking the decision to close any Post Office branch is very difficult and she insisted the company know it will cause concern to many of our customers.

She added the Post Office wants to ensure everyone who uses and relies on branches are able to give their views on them.

She said: "Post Office Ltd's aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the minimum access criteria set by the Government."

To give your views on the possible closures, you can contact the Post Office in three ways.

You can phone (8457) 22 33 44, write to: National Consultation Team, Post Office Ltd, Freepost Consultation Team (no stamp is needed for Freepost addresses) or log on to www.postoffice.co.uk, and following the links to: services and information, network change, current public consultations.

Fife Post Office branches are part of the consultation involving the North East, Tayside and Fife.