26 January 2012 Last updated at 12:50 ET

Hawkshead Post Office closes 'with little warning'

The Post Office and newsagent in the village of Hawkshead has closed its doors with what residents say was little warning.

The windows are blanked with newspaper and a handwritten sign offers a 10-year lease for sale.

The nearest Post Offices are in Coniston, four miles (6.4km) away, or Ambleside, five miles (8km) away.

Royal Mail confirmed the premises had closed on Wednesday.

Morag Turnbull, of the Post Office, said: "Regrettably, following the withdrawal of the premises for Post Office use, we had no option but to temporarily close Hawkshead Post Office branch...

"[We] would like to assure our customers that every effort is being made to restore service as soon as possible."

No one was available for comment when the BBC contacted the premises on Thursday.

Residents said the closure would be a huge loss for the small Lake District community.

Kate Nicholson from Hawkshead Relish, a company based in the village, said many local businesses would suffer.

"I was just thinking about all the pensioners that need their pensions and the general convenience," she said. "It is really the heart and soul of a community."