Three post offices in Hartlepool are on the proposed closure list as part of a national restructuring programme after losses topped £200million last year.

Elwick Road Post Office, in Elwick Road, Raby Estate Post Office, in Chatham Road, and Hart Post Office, in Hart village, are all earmarked for closure.

For the past couple of months Hartlepool Borough Council's scrutiny co-ordinating committee has been looking at the impact the closures would have.

The committee examined deprivation levels, car ownership, bus routes, population levels and the percentage of people with access to bank accounts.

It found that the Raby Estate post office lies within a highly-deprived area where car ownership is very low with many people relying on buses.

Closure of the branch would impact on some of the most vulnerable people within the community, according to the committee.

The committee found the Elwick Road post office serves many residents from highly-deprived neighbourhoods and there are a lot of pensioners who rely on the service. The committee also looked at Hart village and found that if post office was to close the nearest site is more than two miles away with only one bus an hour.

The committee was concerned that if it was to close then the village would also lose its shop which would affect on the vulnerable people in the village.

The council's cabinet was presented with the findings from the scrutiny committee and the information will shape the council's formal response to the Post Office's consultation team.

Councillor Marjorie James, chair of the scrutiny co-ordinating committee, compiled the scrutiny committee's formal response.

In the report, Coun James said: "The three post offices proposed for closure provide an essential service to their communities and for many, post offices are a lifeline and without them many thousands of people will become increasingly isolated."

"Should the proposed closures go ahead, many people will, in one way or another, experience real genuine hardship as a result of the closures."

Coun James added that the council firmly believes the Post Office has a responsibility to its customers and should support individuals through the transitional process.

The committee also asked the council cabinet to ask the Post Office what impact on the consultation process there would be if a local authority did financially protect those offices at risk.

The proposed closures in Hartlepool come under the area plan for Cleveland, South Durham and Richmond.