The closure of Burton Fleming sub-post office has left villagers saddened and disillusioned with the Post Office which went ahead with the closure of the post office side of their village general store despite a massive campaign to keep it open.

On Wednesday, sub-postmaster Ryan Hedger, 60 and his partner for 23 years, Mary Parkin, completed packing up the post office side of their village general store.

Their hard work of building up the business during the past five years went into a series of self-assembly flat-pack cardboard boxes sent by the Post Office together with a long list of instructions on how to shut the counter down.

The Post Office will not remove the glass and steel security screen in the corner of the store so the couple are having to pay someone to take it down for them.

"We haven't had so much as a thank you from them ," said Mr Hedger who ran the post office counter service from 8am to 5.30pm with an hours break for lunch, Monday to Frida, serving villagers, local businesses and farms who used it for banking, and people from neighbouring villages such as Rudston, Thwing and Wold Newton and elsewhere.

Now they will have to manage with a mobile post office outreach service two hours a day during the week which will pull up outside the old post office.

Few are convinced it will be of any great use, a point they made during a long running and vigorous campaign to keep the village post office open.

It included petitions and letters to the post office and had the support of local East Riding of Yorkshire councillors and MP Greg Knight. At one point they hit the national headlines following TV coverage of their fight.

"I don't know why they bothered to have a consultation about the closure, they did it anyway," said Mr Hedger.

Undaunted he and his partner are determined to keep their newsagents and general store open.

They believe it can survive without the post office thanks to a loyal band of customers.

Since they knew the post office counter was definitely closing have added a new line of freshly made sandwiches, and hot pies. When they get the old post office counter removed they will use the space for take away teas and coffees.

"We are doing very well from passing trade, tractor and combine drivers, farm lorries others know they can park outside and buy something for their lunch," said Mr Hedges.

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