At least 52 Post Office branches are expected to shut by early October, according to analysis of Post Office consultation documents by Better Retailing. Many of the affected branches are in southern England, although closures are also planned across the UK in locations including York and Glamorgan. The Post Office is understood to be looking for replacement locations so affected communities can still access services.

Morrisons said the affected convenience stores had been unprofitable for some time and were acquired through its McColls £190million rescue deal in 2022.

It said the difficulties had been exacerbated more recently by "significant cost increases resulting from government policy choices", including increases to the national living wage and National Insurance.

The supermarket chain said it was a "tough but necessary decision" that left staff at risk of redundancy. It was understood that hundreds of jobs would be affected when it announced the closures in May.

A Morrisons spokesperson said the business would try to find other opportunities for the staff affected by the closures.

Better Retailing reported that the Morrisons Daily and other recent store closures could push the Post Office network close to falling below the Government requirement to maintain at least 11,500 sites.