About 2,500 post offices to close, the government has confirmed.

Some 2,500 post offices - a fifth of those left in the UK - are to close by 2009, the government is set to confirm.

Trade Secretary Alistair Darling is expected to confirm the closures when he makes a Commons statement later on the future of the network.

Ministers say the current network is "unsustainable", with fewer customers and losses of £4m a week.