A well-loved post office is to be moved despite strong opposition from the nearby community.

After a meeting on Friday, senior management from the Co-operative said that their decision to close the post office at their How Wood store would still go ahead.

The decision comes after councillors and residents organised a survey to keep it open, gaining more than 850 votes calling for retention of the facility.

St Stephen parish councillor, Jay Baillie, said: “It is extremely disappointing that a company like the Co-op, founded on the basis of mutual benefit, should take such a short-sighted view.

“There are hundreds of communities, many significantly smaller than Park Street, that manage to support post office counters in shops up and down the country,

“This is just another example of a national chain, despite all of its warm words, putting boosting profits before communities and the individuals within them.”

The survey revealed that 65 per cent of people said they used the post office once a fortnight and 80 per cent using the post office bought something from the store.

County councillor for How Wood, Aislinn Lee, added: “It is fantastic to see all the community coming together to fight for our post office.

“If the Co-op is going ahead with the closure you can be confident that we will continue to explore every avenue possible to find an alternative within Park Street. We have already started with this part of the campaign.”