Pharmacy’s post office to shut for good soon
THAT LEAVES JUST FOUR FOR TOWN
THERE will be just four post offices in and around Burton soon as it has been announced another one in the town is shutting down.
The post office inside Dean & Smedley Pharmacy in Horninglow Road, will close in August.
It means that the services in Asda and at Wellington Street, Stretton and Winshill post offices will be the only ones that remain nearby.
However, it is understood that the service inside the pharmacy is set to be moving to another business but the Post Office has said it has not yet found a retailer.
Customers reacted with disappointment to news of the closure.
Margaret Mellor, 83, of Horninglow, said she had a partially sighted neighbour who would struggle to get to the other post offices.
She said “It is a big blow. It was a blow when we lost one further up [the road]. It has been very useful.”
She added that she uses the post office to post parcels and finds it handy as she can pick up prescriptions at the same place.
A statement from Dean & Smedley said: “We are sorry to announce that the post office inside our Horninglow pharmacy will be closed permanently on Friday, August 12.
“Since the autumn of 2017 the post office has been run by temporary sub-postmasters. Earlier this year, the Post Office informed us that this arrangement couldn’t continue as the Post Office didn’t own the property.
“We are sorry that this will be disappointing news to the local community. We would like to thank all our customers for their support over the years.
“Although the post office inside Dean & Smedley pharmacy is closing, Post Office Ltd has plans to relocate it to another business in the area.
“If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the network change team at the Post Office.
“We have exciting plans to revamp our pharmacy, which has been serving Horninglow for over 95 years, to provide more services for the local community. Watch out for further updates over the next couple of months.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “Horninglow post office is inside a pharmacy and it has been operated for the past few years by a temporary postmaster and we want a permanent solution.
“The vacancy for Horninglow has been advertised on www. runapostoffice.co.uk and we have visited retailers in the area.
“We are working hard to find a solution as we know how important a post office is to a community. The branch is due to close at the current location on August 12.”
What do you think about the decision to close Horninglow Road post office? Will it be difficult to reach the other locations? Email us at editorial@burtonmail. co.uk