If you have a Post Office close to where you live, cherish it because a survey has warned that more than one in five are likely to close in the next 12 months.

The survey of 1,000 Post Office workers by the National Federation of Subpostmasters found that 22 per cent of outlets are planning to close.

It highlighted how a third of people running post offices hadn't taken a holiday in the past 12 months due to their workload.

Small independently-run Post Office owners are given a fixed payment annually which is supplemented by a levy on transactions that are carried out over the counter.

More than three quarters of the Subpostmasters in the survey said that the two amounts added together mean they end up earning less than the national hourly minimum wage.

The UK currently has 11,500 Post Offices - less than half of the number that were in operation in the 1980s.

Many High Street outlets - including that in Cheltenham - have moved from their own premises and into concessions in WH Smith stores.

Others have been incorporated into newsagents while some smaller outlets have been moved into village convenience stores.

The Communication Workers Union which represents around 500 postmasters said that the survey showed a worrying trend and warned that communities risked losing their Post Offices.

Andy Furey, national officer for the Union said: "This is a ticking time bomb. Postmasters are handing back the keys because they can't make a living,

"The operating model is that they're simply not paid enough and many are saying they can't make ends meet."