Cornish sub-postmistress closing branch following stress of Horizon IT scandal

• Shann Brede told ITV News' Grace Pascoe that she comes into work with a "knot in her stomach" every day due to ongoing stress linked to the Horizon IT scandal

A sub-postmistress has said she is closing her post office branch in Cornwall after 22 years because of ongoing stress linked to the Horizon IT scandal.

Shann Brede said she spent £20,000 of her own money correcting errors made by the system, while running the branch in Goldsithney, near Penzance.

The Post Office said it was "sorry" to hear of her experiences, and thanked her for the "time she has given to running the branch".

The branch will close on 22 February 2025.

Shann Brede has worked for the Post Office since she was 17 and has been behind the counter in Goldsithney for the past 22 years.

In the last decade, she said she has lost thousands trying to correct errors made by the Horizon IT software and it has caused her so much stress that she’s now decided to close the branch.

She said: "It started in 2013 when I first reported a fault. Well, not a fault because they wouldn't accept it as a fault. It was a loss.

"I can, in fact, tell you exactly how much. It's £1,872. It was the exact same amount as someone had deposited into their bank.

"That person came back and showed me their bank statement. Proof had only gone in once, but the post office wouldn't believe that there had been an issue. I had done something wrong.

"And that just went on over the years. Not all the time. None of us had it every single week, but it became very repetitive.

"So then Alan Bates for the Post Office appeared and it put all our problems to the country. It has made a huge difference. However, it doesn't stop the feelings of anxiety.

"So although I didn't lose my business or my home, I lost a lot of my life to it, really, because it's stressful. You're losing money and you don't know why.

"So I just can't do it anymore. Every day I have a knot in my stomach".

Shann’s work has ensured the rural community has had access to banking and postal services for decades, but the costly software errors have pushed her too far.

She said: "Every time I was having to pay money back, that meant I had no money for food, etc. It was only me, my daughter. So I maxed out my credit cards.

"I had to turn part of my house into a hair salon. We did everything we could to try and survive.

"And I was lucky. I did survive. So many others didn't. And not just their lives. But you can't get back the years they took away from us.

"I've done this all my life, so I know I can't make that many mistakes. But in the end, you just stare at yourself. You know, you question that every action. You just don't trust yourself".

Goldsithney has had a post office for the past 150 years, and residents said the branch will be "missed tremendously".

Mike Patching, Goldsithney resident, said: "She's been a feature of the village and a friendly face for 20-odd years now".

In a statement, a Post Office spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear about the experience of our Postmistress for Goldsithney.

"The focus of today’s Post Office is to support postmasters to run profitable branches and to offer support if issues occur.

"Our team is in contact with her to resolve the issues which she has raised.

"Postmasters across the UK work tirelessly to serve their communities and we would like to thank the Postmistress for Goldsithney for the time she has given to running her branch".