A village sub-postmaster who said he was 'forced' to shut his premises in Ashford, has described how his long-running battle with the Post Office affected his mental health.
Jonathan Brenton and Nicholas Sutton ran Charing Post Office for five years before it shut owing to what they described as 'bullying tactics' by the company.
Shortly after the branch was cleared of value stock and cash on March 30, Mr Brenton who lives in the premises, wrote an open letter to Post Office chairman Tim Parker and chief executive Paula Vennells.
The Post Office has described the closure as temporary.
In the note on Facebook, he accused the Post Office of making significant alterations to their contract, forcing pay cuts and expecting the post office to operate without any 'functional security system'.
Mr Brenton wrote: "It is with deep sadness that I am forced to write to you publicly in this manner.
"However, I do so in desperation that you will take responsibility for the actions of Post Office Limited and the closure of Charing Post Office branch."
He further stated that despite a previous armed robbery in 2012 where £2,000 was stolen, the Post Office failed to provide adequate security measures at the branch. "I am expected to work (and live) with substantial quantities of cash and stock on the premises in an unmonitored, un-alarmed deficient safe," he said.
"I have repeatedly reported the pressure on my mental health that this has placed me under following an armed robbery. I do not feel safe in my own home and workplace."
He added: "You only offered to modernise branch security if I signed a new contract agreeing to a significant pay reduction. This is a disgraceful abuse of power."
The 34 year old added that he has sent out copies of the letter by mail to the Post Office and hopes it would agree to attend a meeting to publicly discuss the matters raised.
Mr Brenton, who grew up in Kent and lived in different parts of the county before moving to Charing, added: "We wanted to be part of the community and really enjoyed spending time with people in the village.
"We were serving 1,500 people a week, many of whom are elderly and vulnerable.
"They need to draw their pensions and it is not easy for them to drive to Ashford or elsewhere. It is just heart breaking. But we had to take a stand against the constant bullying."
A Post Office spokesman said: "We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Charing Post Office.
"Post Office are committed to restoring a Post Office service to the local community in Charing and during this period of temporary closure customers can choose to visit any alternative Post Office branch for services.",