TWELVE threatened post offices could be saved after Devon County Council agreed a rescue package.

The services in Blackawton and Dittisham, near Dartmouth, South Devon, as well as Ashwater and Bridgerule, near Holsworthy, North Devon, could continue operating after the council decided to offer them a £5,000 annual grant until 2011.

Other post offices in line to win a similar reprieve include Bridestowe, near Okehampton, West Devon, Chillaton in West Dartmoor, Kennerleigh near Crediton, Mid-Devon, as well as Milton Abbot, near Tavistock, West Devon, and Newton St Cyres, near Exeter. The other three have asked to remain anonymous until they have agreed terms.

The initiative is part of a plan to support shops and post offices in rural communities so they become sustainable in the long term.

The council identified 12 communities where the viability of the only shop in the village was thrown into question as a result of losing its direct links with Post Office Ltd.

Under the scheme, post office services would remain with the local stores. The 12 post offices were among dozens across Devon earmarked for closure, or set to be turned into mobile or outreach services.

Sub-postmasters and county councillors said the council package was the best hope they had received in months.

Coun Jonathan Hawkins, who represents Blackawton and Dittisham, said: "Only 12 post offices in the whole of Devon have been offered such a lifeline.

"I am delighted our argument that these closures would be devastating for the villages of Blackawton and Dittisham has been accepted by the county council and they have the chance to be saved.

"To all of us in this community it was obvious that these shops and post offices were vital and I believe Devon County Council is doing exactly the right thing."

There was a public outcry when 83 post offices in the county were earmarked for closure. Only 10 made it onto a possible reprieve list with two in Torquay earning a full reprieve only to be replaced by two others in the South Hams.

Public anger focused on claims closures in places like Blackawton and Dittisham would not only leave vulnerable and elderly people having to travel more than six miles to the nearest post office, but would also put village shops at risk as they are linked to the post office service and the revenue it provides.

Under the county council's proposal, post office services would be retained full time in the 12 villages. However, the partnership with the authority means customers will not be able to leave parcels for Parcelforce, obtain foreign currency and make cheque deposits or postal orders.

Blackawton sub-postmaster Alan Richards said he was "more hopeful than he had even been for months".

He said: "Nothing is finalised but it is very promising. I am glad the council is trying to help shops in the community and we are hopeful a positive conclusion can be found."

Brigitte Tardy, postmistress in Dittisham, said: "We are very pleased the county council is trying to help local village communities by offering this support to shops here and in Blackawton.

"Without a shop the community life of a village would disappear. However, the details are still being worked out and we await the full details of the agreement."

Steve Haigh, who owns the shop in Chillaton, said: "This grant will tip the balance between this shop continuing to stay in business, and it folding. Removing the post office services effectively takes away about half of our business."

Coun Brian Berman, the county councils executive member for communities, said: "For many small communities the local shop is the hub of the village, providing far more than just basic groceries. That is why, having tried our hardest to get the best outcomes from Post Office Ltd, we now want to support these village shops to help them continue running post office services."