The United States Postal Service has reduced operating hours at more than a fourth of West Virginia post offices and more cutbacks are expected.

Postal service spokesman David Walton says 124 post offices across the state are closing or opening 30 minutes later; another 55 are closing for lunch or closer later in the day for lunch.

Walton cited high fuel prices and declining mail volumes for the changes.

He says every post office in West Virginia is being examined to determine whether more changes are needed.

With 220,000 vehicles, Walton says a one-cent increase in a gallon of gas costs the postal service $8 million a year.

During the third quarters of the past two fiscal years, post offices also processed 5.5 billion fewer pieces of mail.