The village shop and post office at Necton, near Swaffham, will shut on Saturday March 10.

The East of England Co-operative Society said it faced a rent increase of more than 30pc for the building.

Roger Grosvenor, group general manager - trading, said: 'We are unable to continue to operate these outlets in the current economic climate. The society had hoped to protect all of the 13 jobs at the branch by transferring them to the new operator. Ideally that would also have allowed the Post Office to remain open. Unfortunately, attempts to work with the new proprietor of the store and the Landlord, have been met with no response.'

Mr Grosvenor added: 'As a responsible employer the society has done everything in its power to protect the jobs of our colleagues in Necton, and we have been in close consultation with them throughout this lengthy process. The East of England Co-operative Society is mindful of its social obligation, especially in rural villages like Necton. However, we have a duty to run our business effectively for all our 500,000 members across the region.

'We thank our customers and members for shopping with us and assure local people that the Society will endeavour to find a suitable location for a local Co-op Food Store in the future.'