Postmaster warns more post offices could face axe

Mr Hellyer has run Felpham Post Office in Felpham Road for 22 years. He said business had never been so bad.

He urged residents whose local post offices had been closed in the past two months to think about using other neighbourhood branches rather than joining the queues at the main post office in the High Street.

"It's sad that those five branches have gone.

"But the rest of us that are still here have got to continue.

"We can do all the services that those former branches could do," he said.

"There are no queues here either.

"We need the extra trade. The government has taken more and more away from us over the years with the removal of pension books and benefit payments.

"But we are a private businesses and, and if we are not doing enough trade, we will eventually become unviable.

"I reckon there could be two or three more post office closures in this area in the next two years if things don't improve.

"When there were still pension books we were paying out a thousand pensions a week.

"I'm lucky now if I do 300 a week.

"Having fewer people at the post office has a knock-on effect with less sales in my shop because there are not so many customers around.

"If that's happening to me, it must be happening to other post offices in the area as well.

"That's why people should be looking to go to their local post offices instead of automatically going to the main one and then waiting a long time to be served."

The coastal urban area from Pagham to Elmer has 11 post offices left after five were shut between May and Tuesday last week as part of a nationwide cull of 2,500 outlets from the network.

Customers and MP Nick Gibb protested about the cutbacks but Post Office Ltd went ahead in spite of the extensive objections.