HOPES of saving the 12 sub post offices in Ryedale from closure have been dashed this week as one village shop is told to close its counter, and the rest were expected to hear the worst.

The post offices - Church Street in Norton, and Wass, which are destined for full closure, and others to be replaced by "outreach facilities" - Allerston, Sherburn, Hawnby, Weaverthorpe, West Heslerton, Huttons Ambo, Nunnington, Slingsby, Terrington and Foxholes, are expected to close by the end of next month.

The Post Office is not expected to make a formal statement until Friday but sub-postmasters received letters or phone calls earlier this week, spelling out their fate. The decision comes despite a mammoth public outcry, including a Gazette & Herald campaign which saw boung sign petitions opposing the cuts.

Ryedale District Council, North Yorkshire County Council, the National Park Authority, and scores of parish councils also clamoured for the post offices to remain open.

Hopes had been high that the tiny office at the remote hamlet of Hawnby, north of Helmsley, would be reprieved because of its isolation.

Sonia and Darren Leeming who run the post office along with a general store and tea room, had even offered to run it free of charge but still the Post Office gave the thumbs down.

"Our offer to work for free has never been acknowledged by the Post office" said Darren.

"News of the closure is a big blow. It is to be replaced, not as originally proposed, by an inadequate two-hour mobile service, but an even more limited home service where telephone orders are delivered to customers' homes."

An angry Darren added: "Further confirmation that the Post Office has no idea or thought for rural communities is that they don't even deliver the post to many homes in this community, choosing to leave it in a box at the end of a drive. We are very disappointed about the decision because we had mounted a convincing argument why our post office should be kept open. But no-one in the Post Office listened."

He slammed the new alternative service as "hypocrisy" because people in the Hawnby area will have to ring for a post office service such as postage stamps which will be delivered by a post van. "It makes a nonsense of the carbon footprint argument, " said Darren.

Margaret Timbrell, who has run the post office at Nunnington from a room at her cottage, said people in the village would now have to go to Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside or Ampleforth - six miles to each - for post office services.

"I am disgusted. In a country which is one of the wealthiest in the world we should be able to provide such a public service, especially in a country area like Ryedale."

The closures will leave the vast Howardian Hills area without any post office, said Ian Hughes, whose Terrington post office is also closing. "I think these decisions will come back to haunt the Post Office in the same way as the Beeching axing of the railways did."

But while he will no longer have a post office, his business will still have its tea rooms and gallery which has proved a hit with tourists since it opened, said Mr Hughes. "We are now going to pick up the pieces after the post office blow. I am sorry for the people in our village that we shall not be able to provide a post office service, but we are determined to keep the rest of the business going."

He said calls for a judicial review, taken up by leading campaigner for the Ryedale post offices, County Coun Clare Wood, had not been successful. "We thought it was an opportunity but it proved not to be the case because we could not challenge the actual closures."

John Greenway, MP for Ryedale, said the whole issue of consultation of post offices nationwide was being investigated by Parliament's business enterprise and regulation select committee.

"It seems that the lack of proper consultation over the issue in Ryedale has been replicated in other parts of the country, " said Mr Greenway, who has written strong letters of complaint to the minister with responsibility for post office services, Pat McFaddyan, and to the Rural Affairs Minister, Jonathan Shaw.

Mr Greenway said his concern was that the National Park had not been supported in its statutory responsibility of giving social support to rural communities, despite the strong cases it had put to the Post Office.

"I have given evidence as to what has happened in Ryedale to the select committee, because it seems to have happened everywhere."

He said there was "no rhyme nor reason" in closing the offices, especially those at Sherburn, Terrington, Slingsby and Hawnby, which were either buoyant businesses, or serving a remote area, such as Hawnby.

For Mrs Catherine Creaser, the closure of her post office at West Heslerton will end a 25-year long career as sub postmaster.

Residents will in future have to go to Rillington for postal services said Mrs Creaser, who is also giving up her village confectionery and newspaper delivery service with the demise of the post office.