The former boss of Scotland's busiest Post Office has said he couldn't afford to feed himself because he was left so skint by the organisation's rogue computer system.
Edward Brown, from Renfrew, said he had to plough more than £85,000 of his own money in to cover shortfalls caused by computer glitches.
He said he also had to borrow money against his home and get loans to balance the books.
He gave evidence at the inquiry into the Post Office's failed Horizon accounting system via video link yesterday.
Along with his wife, Edward ran a newsagents with a post office in Paisley Road, in Glasgow's Cardonald area.
He said: "We were actually the busiest post office in Scotland at one point, we had six tellers.
"My accountant has worked out it's £85,000-plus that I've written off over those years.
"I got into debt. At one point, I took money against my house. There were a couple of loans on the go as well.
"The Post Office had to get that money. The long and the short of it was the Post Office had to get their money, or you didn't have a post office – you didn't have a post office, you didn't have a business that was sellable or viable.
"We sometimes had to visit relatives in order to have a hot meal. It made life harder."
The 53-year-old started the business in 1989 but took a leaver's payment in 2015 and continued to run his newsagents.
He said: "I do about 115 hours a week. Everything was planned for me to retire at 55. That's not going to happen.
"It's had a knock-on effect, we've got nothing to show for all those years.
"Now I know the Post Office knew about the system problems, it doesn't seem fair.
"Hopefully the Inquiry will go some way to act as closure for the pain, injustice and unfairness myself and other sub-postmasters were inflicted with.
"No financial compensation can replace the lost time with a young family and time with friends."
The Inquiry continues.
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