SOUTHAMPTON residents have expressed their despair as yet another community post office has been earmarked for closure.

The branch in Meggeson Avenue, Townhill Park, is the next in line for the chop as part of Post Office Ltd's controversial cost-cutting scheme.

Just two weeks ago the Daily Echo revealed the Bitterne Road West post office had also been listed as one which may close, and two branches in Winchester have also been named.

The proposals come after the government agreed for £210m to be released to pay off people running post offices in urban areas to offset £1m daily losses incurred by Royal Mail.

Drew McBride, Post Office head of area, said: "Our nationwide network of branches faces a critical point in its history.

"There are simply not enough customers for the number of post offices in towns and cities.

"There is the prospect of further customer losses, once the Department for Work and Pensions starts to move benefit payments from order books to bank accounts from April - all this affects branches' viability."

She added: "The subpostmaster of Meggeson Avenue branch wishes to close - and has our provisional agreement - as part of our planned programme to restructure, modernise and safeguard our branch network."

Members of the public are being urged to put their views on the closure forward as part of a four-week consultation exercise.

Early indications suggest comments will not be favourable.

Pensioner Alec Haynes, 81, lives in nearby Middleton Close and is a regular user of the post office. He said: "I'm against it. I use it every week and more. I get my pension there and I also use it for other things."

Jenny Whale, 57, from Camelia Gardens, added: "I think it's bad. I use it three times a week and I collect my mother's pension from there."

The public has until February 24 to let the Post Office know their views. Letters can be sent to Drew McBride, Head of Area Post Office Ltd c/o National Consultation Team, PO Box 641, St Albans, AL1 5XN.