Joyful postmaster Mark Bamforth, had an extra-wide smile for his loyal customers after it was revealed his Warton Street post office would remain open.

Lytham saved as 11 Fylde post offices close

And the shop boss, who was roundly praised by customers for keeping a brave face during the six-week consultation over his branch's future, even cracked open the champagne as customers celebrated the good news.

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The Warton Street office was deemed so important by Lytham residents, almost 2,000 of them marched through the town in a bid to keep it open.

A beaming Mark, who has apparently picked up the nickname "Arkwright" over the years after Ronnie Barker's famous Open All Hours shopkeeper, said: "A lot of our customers have seen me grow up since we moved here when I was five and I'm just delighted today.

"The shop has been in my family for 44 years and it's a big relief and big weight off the shoulders."

He was, however, unhappy at the news that another branch in Wigan would close as a result of his branch getting a reprieve.

Newburgh Post Office in Wigan is now on the hit list to replace Warton Street so the Post Office will still close 58 offices countywide.

"There shouldn't be like-for-like closures," he said. "It's ridiculous and I feel bad for them."

Cath Powell, a local resident who led the fight to keep the branch open, was also delighted and was keen to thank all concerned.

She said: "It's so great because everyone has done their bit and all the community have rallied around Mark. One woman summed it up for me when she said that Warton Street wouldn't be the same without this post office.

"Mark has grown up here and there is even a bench outside the shop in memory of his late father and it just makes me so happy that it's staying open."

With pensioners expected to suffer at the hands of 11 closures across the Fylde, elderly folk in Lytham were also very relieved.

Des Battersby, 81, from Oswald Road, Lytham, said: "I'm so pleased because I'm a regular user of the post office. It should never have been on the closure list in the first place."

And Thomas Jefferies, 80, from Malton Grove, who walks with two walking sticks and has been using the post office for more than 50 years, said: "I'm delighted. I can hardly walk, but I can drive and this is the only post office you can park at.

"Mark, the sub-postmaster, is very good and helps me with my shopping and this is just fantastic."