Mobile Post Office ruled out for 'too busy' town

The Post Office has offered temporary services before

A Wiltshire town has been told it will have no temporary Post Office service for almost two months due to the demand being "too great".

Malmesbury's Post Office is situated in a branch of Co-op and will be closed whilst the supermarket shuts its doors for a seven week refurbishment.

Malmesbury's mayor has called on the Post Office to offer a temporary service during the closure, but has been told it would be unviable.

The Post Office has recommended customers use nearby branches in Tetbury, Sherston and Crudwell.

Mobile Post Office vans have been used in various locations around the country

"Without access to their local post office, many vulnerable residents will be unable to process the benefits and vouchers they need to survive especially during the winter period" said Mayor and Councillor Phil Exton.

"We've known about this for some time and asked the Post Office what provision it would make to support local residents who use this service regularly."

"It's taken several weeks to get a response and that response is, for us, totally unacceptable."

In response, a Post Office spokesperson said that they had "considered the use of a Mobile Post Office to provide a service in Malmesbury during the temporary closure period."

'Capacity issue'

"The Mobile Post Office is designed to provide services for a couple of hours per week from a van in small rural locations with low customer footfall."

"Unfortunately, a van would not be suitable for use in Malmesbury due to the higher customer footfall in the area that is likely to result in capacity issues on the van."

The Post Office had recommended using branches in Tetbury, Sherston and Crudwell.

Each branch is roughly five miles away from Malmesbury and with infrequent connections by public transport.

The Post Office has previously provided temporary services in the town or provided free transport to neighbouring branches.

Malmesbury Council has said that it is also consulting with the Co-op about the matter.