Unpopular plans to close post offices were "bulldozed" through by the Government, a senior MP has claimed.

Edward Leigh, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said consultation over the near-2,500 closures had been little more than a "sham", with concerned local residents given just a few weeks to make their views known.

The Conservative MP accused the Business Department of riding "roughshod" over people's worries, adding: "Given the crucial importance to many in the community of a local post office, I am amazed at the feeble attempt to communicate with people."

Mr Leigh said it will be 2011-12 before savings from the closure programme were greater than the cost of implementing it, and from then on were expected to be £45 million a year, an "underwhelming" 15 per cent of the total planned savings.

The MP was commenting on a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the so-called network change programme, which found that it had largely met its targets and complied with undertakings given by the Business Department.

But the NAO said the handling of some closures suffered from poor communication, causing "resentment" among customers.

A total of 2,383 post offices had been closed by March and the total will be 2,435 at a cost of £161 million, £15 million less than planned, said the report.

Mr Leigh added: "We still do not know what the real cost to rural and urban communities will be of destroying a traditional social service."

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.