Plea from Lancaster postmistress after TV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office sparks backlash

ITV have this week been broadcasting four-part series Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which records moving accounts of the effect the Horizon IT scandal had on former postmasters and their families.

A statutory Inquiry, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams, is currently examining every aspect of the scandal.

However, Joanne Neill, postmistress at Bolton-le-Sands Post Office, has shared her concerns on social media after hearing of plans for many people nationwide to boycott the Post Office in protest after watching the drama.

And she urged people to continue to support their local branches.

"I have been reading a lot of people nationwide are going to boycott the Post Office after the drama aired on ITV," Joanne wrote on Facebook.

"Well sadly this won't affect anyone but the post masters who are small business owners and if people boycott them it is going to affect their business only, not the people at the top where the action needs to be taken .

"My mind was made up about the Post Office long before I knew the true scale of the Horizon scandal, it's all about money at the end of the day and those at the top take more than their fait share leaving post masters to struggle and some even not taking a wage.

"We struggle but we shouldn't be struggling because we are busy all the time, Christmas time being more than just beyond busy, so why are we struggling, it shouldn't be like this but these are the facts, where things will go in the near future I'm not sure but there definitely needs to be change.

"Just don't boycott Post Offices because of this, it's not the small business holders' fault."

Many customers backed Joanne's comments, saying they would continue to support their local business.

One response to the post said: "The scandal is horrific, but boycotting our small local Post Offices is only shooting ourselves in the foot. We all need our local Post Office more than ever after all the bank closures in particular."

Another said: "The trouble with a boycott is it won't hurt the villains at the top very much, it will hurt the local small business holder the most. I don't know what the answer is."

And a third said: "Local Post Offices sit at the very heart of their communities and need all the support we can give them. In the past they were, like the milkman, the eyes and ears of the community. Online services have changed the world but please use this important local facility as much as you can can.”

Post Office chief executive Nick Read has responded to the TV drama, and encouraged those who affected to seek redress if they have not already done so.

"The Horizon IT scandal had devastating consequences on the lives of people affected," he said. "I have met and heard first hand the moving testimonies from some of the victims and I am in no doubt about the human cost.

"The Government’s statutory inquiry, led by Sir Wyn Williams, will determine what went wrong in the years following the introduction of the original Horizon IT system in 1999. Post Office is openly and transparently assisting the Inquiry’s work to help provide, as far as possible, closure for those affected.

"The future our postmasters and customers deserve can only be fully delivered with the resolution of past events. That’s why I established a dedicated team in the Post Office – the Remediation Unit – to address compensation, appeals of historical criminal convictions and provide full assistance with the Inquiry.

"Whilst the inquiry’s work continues, my priority is to ensure that there is appropriate, meaningful compensation for victims. Post Office would not have the financial resources for this without Government and I welcome the funding support they are providing.

"We are making substantial progress, with offers totalling more than £130 million, the vast majority of which are agreed and paid.

"Past shortcomings must never be repeated. We are making significant changes to our culture and rebuilding trust to forge a new relationship with our current postmasters, without whom there would be no Post Office.

"I know that Post Office is changing for the better and that such past failings must never happen again. Post Office and our postmasters remain at the heart of communities across the UK. We must put this right."