The announcement was made on Tuesday following a six week consultation period.

Despite strong public opposition to the plans, branches in Dove Holes, Birch Vale, Peak Forest, Town End in Chapel-en-le-Frith and Tintwistle will all close later in the year. The branch in Strines will also close as part of the Government plans to axe 2,500 branches nationally.

The High Peak post offices are among 62 set to close throughout Greater Manchester and High Peak, with the first closures scheduled to take place in mid September.

Richard Lynds, Post Office Ltd's Network Development Manager North West, said: "These are difficult decisions which have not been taken lightly. We have considered very carefully all the comments made during the public consultation.

"We believe that the plan announced offers our customers in this area the best prospect for a sustainable network in the future, bearing in mind the Government's minimum access criteria and the other factors the Government has asked us to consider."

High Peak MP Tom Levitt said: "The decision by the Post Office to close five offices in High Peak is a disappointment.

"I thought Tintwistle and Dove Holes especially made a good case to be kept open. However, 24 post offices across High Peak will stay open as part of a strategic network to serve all our communities.

"The network will be supported by continued Government investment, of £1.7 billion over the next few years, an investment not supported by the opposition parties at Westminster."

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Andrew Bingham has expressed his disappointment at the news.

"Postmasters are being starved out of existence by this Government, so much so that closure for many of them is a welcome relief," he said.

"Here in High Peak, following these latest closures, we will have lost nine Post Offices since 1999.

"I wrote to Postwatch as part of the consultation process, I also campaigned with the people of Dove Holes to save their Post Office, but little or no heed has been taken of our representations."

Mr Bingham said:"This decision drives another nail in the coffin of rural village communities."

He also hit out at High Peak MP Tom Levitt and said: "Mr Levitt sent out a leaflet in Dove Holes titled "Save Dove Holes Post Office", yet when he had the chance to halt the closure programme in March he did not do it.

"A Conservative proposal to halt the closure programme was tabled in the House of Commons in March and many of his Labour colleagues supported it, but Mr Levitt declined to do so.

"To then start trying to claim to support local offices is just double standards.

"When you add this to his previous comments in the House of Commons when he described the future of Post Offices as 'bleak' then again he has been lacking in his efforts as Member of Parliament for the High Peak.

"Mr Levitt may shed his crocodile tears now that these closures have been confirmed but when he could have acted, he failed to do so!

"The Post Office network should be encouraged, they should be allowed to expand their range of services, thereby making them more profitable and attractive to people to take on and run."

During the public consultation, Post Office Ltd received around 5,700 responses and attended 43 meetings with customers and their representatives.

Full details of the decisions and the issues raised during the consultation are available by visiting www.postoffice.co.uk/networkchange or by writing to Post Office Ltd at Freepost Consultation Team or by emailing consultation@postoffice.co.uk.