Rural communities are in the midst of a postal crisis, with a senior Scots politician warning that lifeline services will be lost unless urgent action is taken.
There were a record number of sub-postmaster resignations across the country during 2013.
The trend is predicted to continue as some struggle to make ends meet and others experience increasing difficulty in selling their businesses.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Liz Smith has written to Post Office Limited to urge bosses to ensure that the situation does not spiral out of control.
She wants new safeguards on services introduced to protect communities who rely on their post office to meet a range of day-to-day needs.
Post Office Limited told The Courier that it recognised the challenges facing some subpostmasters across the network and promised to take steps to support them.
Rhynd in Perthshire was among the post offices to close its doors for the last time in 2013 and though efforts were made to provide new premises they have proved unsuccessful.
Culross in Fife also lost its post office, while the East Neuk village of Upper Largo is to lose its service due to the resignation of its subpostmaster.
Ms Smith has voiced fears over the impact further closures will have on communities, particularly in rural areas.
She said: “2013 saw a number of post offices close following the resignation of the subpostmaster and the withdrawal of Post Office services.
“For many it is a very difficult decision to resign from the Post Office.
“However, with many unable to find a buyer for their business, they are instead forced to retire and close the service.
“In recent years Post Office Ltd have found it increasingly difficult to find new locations in shops for Post Office counters to be hosted and in many cases have had to resort to providing an outreach service from a van.
“It is clear that the number of subpostmasters looking to retire in the future will only increase the problem and potential loss of Post Office services, especially from rural communities.”
A Post Office spokeswoman said the network overall was at its most stable for many years in the face of the company’s largest investment programme in its history.
“The Post Office has made a commitment to maintaining services for customers and no programme of branch closures,” she said.
“In November the Government announced a further £20m investment in the Post Office network to enable us to protect services in smaller communities.
“The investment will see up to 8,000 branches modernised and additional investment in over 3,000 community and outreach branches.
“We recognise, however, the challenges some subpostmasters face across our branch network, so are taking steps to support them too.”