Post Office profits boosted by bank branch closures

Trading profits at the network more than doubled from £13 million to £35 million in 2017/18, while turnover nudged up from £957 million to £961 million.

The performance was driven by its financial services, telecoms and insurance arms.

Its high street banking arm processed over 125 million withdrawals from UK bank accounts in the period and customer cash deposits grew 28%.

An influx of small business customers and individuals using the service while the likes of RBS and Lloyds shut hundreds of branches was behind the growth, the Post Office said.

Boss Paula Vennells added: “Millions of people and businesses rely on our services, especially as more and more banking customers are turning to our branches to undertake everyday banking services. We have made good progress in our transformation and there is more to do.

“We have set ourselves a target of £100 million trading profit within the next three years. We need to be able to invest in the future and respond effectively to the challenges which remain.”