The closures form part of Morrisons plans to shutter around 100 convenience locations

Dozens of Post Office branches are set to shut their doors this summer after Morrisons announced a wave of store closures across the UK.

The closures will leave many communities without a local Post Office, with 52 branches expected to close by early October.

The branches are located inside Morrisons Daily convenience stores, many of which were acquired as part of the supermarket's £190million rescue of McColl's in 2022.

Morrisons is closing around 100 underperforming Morrisons Daily stores, with analysis of Post Office consultation documents by Better Retailing identifying the 52 branches set to be affected.

The supermarket described the closures and job losses as a "tough but necessary decision", saying many of the stores had been losing money for years.

Staff are currently being consulted, with Morrisons saying it will try to offer affected employees alternative roles elsewhere in the business where possible.

Communities across England, Scotland and Wales are set to lose access to local postal services as the closures take effect.

Southern England is expected to be hit hardest, although branches in Wales, Scotland and northern England are also due to close.

Morrisons blamed rising operating costs, including higher employment costs linked to government policy, for the decision.

Morrisons maintains that the affected outlets had been operating unprofitably for an extended period, with financial pressures intensifying in recent times.

The company has emphasised that this restructuring concerns only loss-making locations, whilst it continues to operate and expand its broader Morrisons Daily convenience business through different approaches.

The Post Office has launched efforts to identify suitable replacement retailers willing to incorporate postal services into their premises across affected areas.

A Post Office spokesperson said: "Our retail partner has reviewed their Morrisons Daily store operations and has decided to close a number of their stores.

"Consequently, there are 52 stores with Post Offices that are regrettably closing by October."

The spokesperson added: "We fully recognise the inconvenience this will cause our customers and small businesses who rely on our banking and parcel services in particular, which is why we are seeking replacement retail partners for all of these locations."

All vacancies are currently listed on the organisation's runapostoffice.co.uk website, with numerous expressions of interest already received from potential operators.

Some business opportunity advertisements will close this Friday as the Post Office aims to establish replacement branches swiftly.

According to Better Retailing's analysis, the Morrisons Daily closures combined with other recent shop shutdowns could bring the Post Office network perilously close to breaching the government's mandatory minimum of 11,500 branches.

This threshold represents a legal requirement that the network must maintain.

Several Members of Parliament have reportedly initiated discussions with both Morrisons and the Post Office in an attempt to safeguard access to local services for their constituents.

Among the West Midlands branches facing closure are Bewdley Post Office on Load Street and Stephenson Square Post Office in Walsall.

Other affected locations span from Bedford and Bristol to Cardiff, Plymouth, York and Peterhead in Scotland.

The closures represent a significant reduction in postal service accessibility for communities reliant on these neighbourhood branches.