WORCESTERSHIRE villagers are among the worst off in the country when it comes to having a post office close at hand.

Now the Countryside Agency is warning of further rural post office closures, despite more than 500 having closed for business since 1997.

Figures in the agency's rural services survey revealed that 7.7 per cent of households in Worcestershire villages lived between 1.25 miles and 2.5 miles away from their nearest post office - the highest figures in the West Midlands.

In rural areas of the North West and Yorkshire, the figures are 4.4 and 5 per cent respectively.

"We are worried about the vulnerability of these services, especially in smaller settlements," said Pam Warhurst, deputy chairman of the Countryside Agency.

"The current pressures on the Post Office and doubts about the future of the Universal Bank could lead to further closures, despite the Government's commitment to maintain the rural network.

"We continue to look for new ways to deliver services in rural areas, in particular through our market towns and vital villages initiatives. But, if the Government is to meet its own commitment to rural service standards in its Rural White Paper, better public services for rural people and businesses will need additional investment."

The survey also revealed that more than half of all rural settlements did not have a pub, while seven out of 10 villages had no general store or village shop.

However, 80 per cent of people did live within 2.5 miles of a supermarket.

And the survey suggested that there was a silver lining to the rural black cloud.

Figures revealed public transport had improved, with 67 per cent of parishes now having a six or seven-day bus service - up from its all-time low of 60 per cent in 1997.

Further good news for rural communities was the rise in the availability of village halls and meeting places following the intervention of Lottery funding.

Only 70 per cent of villages had village halls in the 1990s, but Lottery cash has helped boost this figure to 85 per cent.

"To ensure a fair deal for rural areas requires creativity and innovation to work together and deliver services where they are needed," said Mrs Warhurst.