Forty-nine post offices face closure across the county as part of the Government's attempts to make the service sustainable and to stem losses.

Reporter Jess Bauldry spoke to some of the customers who plan to fight the closures at one branch in the village of Upper Dicker, near Hailsham, to find out what makes their post office worth saving.

Try to drive through Upper Dicker at about 10.40am on a weekday and you will not get far. The reason is that the village of about 400 people will be overrun with pupils from nearby St Bede's International School.

As soon as the break bell rings, dozens of uniformed teenagers of all shapes and sizes amble down to their general store and post office in Coldharbour Road to fill up on snack foods, withdraw pocket money and buy electronic top-up vouchers for their mobile phones to make those all-important calls home.

But they may not be able to do this much longer if the Government goes ahead with its plan to axe scores of Sussex post offices.

The Upper Dicker branch, which dates back to 1855, is on that hit-list and if you ask what impact its closure will have on the school, businesses and nearby residents, the answer is a resounding "catastrophic".

The Government made its decisions on which branches to axe based on accessibility and branch performance.

However, it failed to take into account the 850 pupils, of whom 340 are boarders, and 200 staff from nearby public school St Bede's, many of whom use the Upper Dicker post office every day. The school's marketing director, Sally Wellings, said: "Their report ignores the existence of the school.

"All our mail goes through that branch. Every day we take a wheelie bag full of letters down to the post office.

"If it closes our staff will have to get in a car and drive to Berwick, which is a totally unnecessary journey.

"Also in this day of emailing the children do actually send cards and letters home and they need top-up cards to phone home.

"For them that post office is a lifeline home when they most need it."

Clearly, the branch as a "lifeline"

is a running theme.

If this branch closes many elderly residents who do not drive will have no alternative. The Post Office has advised customers to travel to branches at Horsebridge or Golden Cross - both three miles away and neither of which is served by public transport.

To add insult to injury, the village is served by only two buses a week to nearby Hailsham, which will make access to so called "alternative services" nearly impossible for some.

While many communities will put the lifeline argument to the Government during its six-week consultation, Upper Dicker has yet more to lose.

As a vibrant business community with about a dozen small firms relying on its banking services, it seems ridiculous to turn down their custom, which invariably arrives on foot.

Removing the post office will inevitably force these businesses to drive to alternative branches and there is a risk they will move away from the village altogether.

John Read, a sales representative for mail order firm The Huge Cheese Company, sends out hundreds of catalogues each week which must be weighed at the Upper Dicker branch.

He admits his employers are looking at relocating to Brighton because the business may not be sustainable at its current location in Coldharbour Road if the post office closes.

If all businesses followed suit, the impact on the general store, run alongside the post office, could be devastating.

When postmistress Tessa Flowers, 30, took over the store in September with her husband Matt she had no idea her branch would be on the list.

The couple are even more frustrated because they have spent the past three months transforming the ailing business into a lively and bustling community hub, which may now be undermined by the Post Office pulling out its services.

She said: "I really didn't believe they would close this one. It's such a lifeline to the community I didn't think they could.

"Some of the basis for closing some branches was based on performance and sadly I think they based it on the figures of the last postmaster.

"But that is not a reflection of how strong the business is now."