GAZETTE & HERALD: IN just two hours more than 150 outraged people signed a petition against proposals to close Chippenham's main post office and turn it into part of a convenience store.

The Gazette launched its Save Our Post Office Campaign after the shock announcement last week that Post Office Ltd is entering into negotiations with Primeco Ltd to takeover the management of the office in 2005.

The young and old registered their anger at the proposals outside the post office on Tuesday in an overwhelming show of public support for the campaign.

Darren Morgan, Chippenham's union representative of the Communication Workers' Union representative, has worked at the office for eight years.

He revealed that post office staff, who are still reeling from the shock news, which was announced last Thursday, are backing the campaign.

It is expected that Chippenham Town Council and North Wiltshire District Council will also unite in condemning the proposals.

"Some feel they have not been treated at all well, but for many the impact of the news is still sinking in," Mr Morgan said.

"There is a general feeling of unease, but they are happy to give their support to the campaign going on locally. They can see the support people are giving them and when it's their jobs on the line it wouldn't be fair for them not to support it."

County councillor Paul Fox, said: "The reaction of people signing the petition was almost always disbelief and many felt it was an insult to the town.

"People were just flabbergasted."

Post Office Ltd has pledged in its letters to the public announcing the proposals that there would be no loss of services.

But union leaders hit-back saying that franchise agreements with post offices in the past, including Calne, have led to a reduction in staff and services.

In 1995 Calne Post Office was taken over by new management and within a few years it had moved to much smaller premises, with fewer counters, in a nearby newsagents.

The CWU's representative for the West Denis Humphreys explained that he had spent the week talking to staff about the available options.

Post Office Ltd say workers would be offered work at other branch offices in Wiltshire, which could include

Melksham, Trowbridge or even Swindon.

But Mr Humphreys said that if staff, some of who have worked in the post office for more than 20 years, wished to stay at Chippenham they would have to reapply to Primeco for their old jobs.

"I think we have made a very positive step forward by launching this campaign," Mr Humphreys said.

"But even after consultation Post Office Ltd still reserve the right to make the decision, which is why we have to get local people to put pressure on them."

Mr Humphreys said he would be discussing with staff the option of taking industrial action, but said he believed this course of action would be a last resort for most of the workers.

He said the employees have spent years building up a close relationship with their customers. He said workers were concerned that strike action would only serve to disrupt their customers' lives.

"There is a strong relationship between workers and their customers," Mr Morgan said.

"The post office is also a very social place where people arrange to meet."