A MULTI-MILLION pound aid package to prevent the closure of rural post offices was approved by the European Commission yesterday.

About £150m will be invested in each of the next three years to maintain sub-postmasters' incomes, fund services such as computer systems and develop innovative ways of delivering post.

The aim is to help the loss-making Royal Mail keep open the UK's 8,500 rural post offices.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: "This is great news for our rural post offices. We can now get the money out of the door and into post offices."