Post Office closure 'takes gut out of village'
COAST Road councillor Rachel Rea said the closure of Carnalbanagh post office this week will take the "gut out of the community".
She claimed there is no provision for elderly people in rural areas. "They just seemed to pull the mat out, it's very unfair. The rural area seems to get badly punished. I would like to see Carnalbanagh getting a reprieve."
Cllr Rea, who lives in the area, said some elderly residents used to travel to the village by tractor to collect their pension. As for the closure on Monday, she said: "I thought there would be somebody there but nobody came. It's taken the gut out of the community.
"The nearest post office is Glenarm or Broughshane. We have no buses except a school bus in the morning and if you need a taxi you have to ring Larne or Ballymena."
In Carnalbanagh, she said, the postmistress "would give old people a hand".
That personal touch may not be so readily available if pensioners have to travel to use postal services, Cllr Rea said. "It's hard for them – they are really worried."
Moira McKeown, principal of Carnalbanagh Primary School, said the school used the post office regularly. "We will miss it," she added.
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Weather for Larne
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
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