A severely disabled woman yesterday challenged contentious government plans to shut up to 2,500 local post offices, claiming ministers failed to consider the impact on handicapped residents. Judy Brown, who uses her branch in Hastings at least twice a week, is seeking a judicial review of the closure programme, which is designed to stem the network's losses of £3.5m a week. She claimed the government's failure to carry out a full assessment of how large-scale closures would affect the disabled breached anti-discrimination legislation. The government has said it acted lawfully and is contesting the application.

Megan Murphy