A petition of more than 3,500 names of Bolton Evening News readers has been handed to the Post Office in protest about plans to close 14 branches in the town.

The paper enlisted the help of one of the town's MPs, David Crausby, to hand over the petition.

Thousands of readers rushed to sign it and the names were gathered in five weeks.

The closure of the Post offices sparked outrage in the town.

The paper carried dozens of stories from readers who claimed their post offices were a life line.

Editor Steve Hughes said: "The readers' response showed the strength of feeling on the issue."

The MP presented the petition to Eddie Herbert from the Post Office's Consultation team, which will have to take into account the overwhelming level of support for the paper's campaign.

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