'We're trying to move on' from Horizon scandal

David Ward says local branches are run separately from the national Post Office

A senior sub-postmaster has called on people to support local Post Office branches to help them recover after the Horizon scandal.

David Ward said many branches wanted to "move on" from the scandal which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted for theft because of a faulty IT system called Horizon.

Mr Ward, who is the former president of the Lincoln and Grimsby National Federation of Sub- Postmasters, said many local Post Offices "have had, and are still having, a difficult time."

He explained how many local Post Offices are owned and operated independently as franchises, and called for public support to help those struggling because of the fallout from the scandal.

Some sub-postmasters are worried the Horizon scandal could affect their livelihoods

Between 1999 and 2015, the Post Office prosecuted hundreds of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses after Horizon made it look like money had gone missing.

The scandal was highlighted by the ITV Drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

In an interview with BBC Radio Lincolnshire, sub-postmaster Tom Hedges said people used to "cross the road" to avoid him after he was wrongly convicted for stealing from the Post Office.

However, the heightened interest in the scandal and subsequent inquiry led to some calls for boycotts of the company.

David Ward was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the community for his work as East Barkwith sub-postmaster and charity fundraising

Mr Ward, who runs East Barkwith Post Office, was not directly affected by the problem with the software and was not prosecuted but said he was "very aware" of the issues.

"We were very lucky, but it does bring tears to my eyes sometimes when I talk about it because it's been so sad for some postmasters," he said.

"We're trying to move on from the problems of the past that everyone knows about.

"We are still in business, we're here and we would like people to come and support us."