Ref. 72713-203 UNHAPPY Sue Phipps and Gordon Walters outside Clifton Street Post Office which is due to closeTHE FUTURE OF THE POST OFFICE: Campaigners are angry at the decision to close three post offices in the town despite a big campaign to save them, backed by the Advertiser. BEN PAYNE reports

OUTRAGED Post Office campaigners in Swindon say they are expecting a fierce backlash following a ruling to close three branches in the town.

The campaigners, who have worked tirelessly to stop the sweeping changes, say they are gutted by the announcement that post offices in Ferndale Road, Oxford Road and Clifton Street will close on November 15.

Furious pensioner Gordon Walters, who handed over a 300-signature Adver protest petition to officials in Watford last month, said he could not believe that three of the six facilities in the region earmarked for closure were in Swindon.

"I think it's stupid to be quite honest," said the 74-year-old. "It is such a long way to walk to other post offices and some elderly people just won't make it.

"There will be a backlash, particularly from pensioners. I think they (the Post Office) are cutting their own throats because people who have got money in Post Office accounts will take it out and put it somewhere else."

The retired long-distance lorry driver, who has lived in Clifton Street yards away from the post office for 35 years, said he didn't think campaigners had any choice but to accept the ruling.

"It is a massive blow to Swindon and the end of an era which we will never get back but I don't think there is much we can do," he said.

The decision to close the post offices and three others in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire came after an eight-week consultation period.

Officials sifted through viability figures and worked their way through letters, comments and petitions sent to them.

They say the tough closure decisions were made to improve the sustainability of other post offices in the area.

Swindon MPs Julia Drown and Michael Wills said the news was "extremely disappointing" because the services were valued by local people.

Efforts to save the post offices, including the Adver's campaign which asked readers to complete and return protest slips, have received wide-spread praise.

Postwatch, the industry watchdog, helped gather case studies on how the closure would affect local communities.

Gary Hepburn, of Postwatch, said: "I'm not surprised about the closures because they are part of a national programme to close up to 3,000 post offices in urban areas.

"Obviously, the consultation did not raise anything to show these proposals should not go ahead."

Post offices in Pewsham, near Chippenham, and Frampton Cotterell and Hambrook in Gloucestershire are the other branches in the region facing the axe next month.

Mr Wills is planning to launch a bid to help elderly people get to the Post Office after the closure of the town's three doomed branches.

He believes elderly people will be the biggest losers.

So the Labour MP for North Swindon will launch a petition tomorrow calling on the Post Office and Swindon Borough Council to provide pensioners with transport to alternative branches.

"Obviously, the Post Office has made a decision but they can't leave people unable to collect their benefits, particularly the elderly," he said.

"We need to work together to sort this problem out."

Meanwhile, South Swindon MP Julia Drown, who wrote to the Post Office and watchdog Postwatch to register her opposition to the proposed closure of the counter in Clifton Street, hopes there will be no further cutbacks.

"It is extremely disappointing news," she said. "I know that the post office in Clifton Street was having a low service level but it was very much valued by local residents.

"This is obviously a reduction in service but we still have many local post offices serving the community."

"I urge local people to continue to use their post offices to help ensure other services can continue."

Ben Payne