Last post – after 224 years at the heart of village
NESTLING on the Jurassic Coast, the village of Charmouth is surrounded by rich history.
But the idyllic spot is set to lose part of its identity as its post office – one of Britain’s oldest – prepares to shut down after 224 years.
The closure will result in the loss of the Dorset village’s only cashpoint, meaning residents will have to travel three miles to Lyme Regis to use an ATM.
Veteran postmaster Steve Pile and his wife Gill say they were told in 2013 by Post Office Ltd that they must downsize their business.
Under the company’s Network Transformation scheme, they had to shut the post office and move the business to within another shop.
But, six years on, no alternative venue has been found in the village. The couple say the Post Office’s decision is ‘disgraceful and illogical’ and claim their argument that the population of 1,300 is enough to sustain a full postal service has fallen on deaf ears.
Mr Pile, 70, and his 60-year-old wife say the ‘shambolic’ process has left them unable to sell their business and has resulted in their decision to retire from running the post office after 20 years.
As a result, the post office in Charmouth, which has been operating since 1795, will be lost. The couple believe there could be 500 other post offices across the UK hit by the company’s insistence that post offices should be moving into shops.
In a statement, Mr Pile said: ‘It is with deep sadness and regret that we have to announce that the post office will be closing in its present location on May 22.
‘Six years is a long time to have your future and your retirement totally out of your hands with no end in sight.
‘Post Office Ltd’s decision rendered our business totally unsaleable and, as no agreement could be reached with either of Post Office Ltd’s approved alternative shops in the village, we have been in limbo since that time.
‘At 70 years old I’m not willing to wait for something that may, or may not happen, so we have decided to close the door, not without pretty severe financial penalty to ourselves, but in the end health and quality of life come first.’ Mrs Pile, who will continue to run her greeting card business, said: ‘It has been a big shock for the community and we’ve had some customers in tears saying, “What are we going to do without you?” There’s a section of society who can’t go out very easily and find it very difficult to get money.’
A Post Office spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that Charmouth post office is due to close temporarily on May 22. We are exploring various options which will enable us to maintain a post office service after May 22.’
Last week it was revealed that more than 2,500 of the UK’s 11,500 post offices could disappear in the next year because of a decline in customers.
The National Federation of SubPostmasters surveyed 1,000 members and found that 22 per cent are in such dire financial straits they are planning to shut down, hand on the business or downsize in the next 12 months.
‘Customers have been in tears’