CUSTOMERS spoke of their sadness at the closure of the Post Office at the One Stop stores in Eastleigh Road, Devizes , after more than 40 years trading.

Despite a campaign by customers , backed by the Gazette & Herald and a 1,000 signature petition organised by Devizes Mayor Margaret Taylor, the Post Office said it could not justify keeping the branch open and claimed it would help secure the future of the main post office within Sainsbury's in Devizes.

When Tesco became the owner of the One Stop store it had wanted to close the Post Office in order to increase the size of the store but it changed its mind leaving the decision to the Post Office.

Customers spoke of their dismay when they visited the Post Office for the final time and spoke of the inconvenience of travelling to the central Post Office.

Cyril Holloway, 74, of Belle Vue Road, used the Post Office to collect his sister's pension.

He said: "The Post Office should be ashamed of themselves. Everybody's upset about it and the decision to close it is very poor."

Douglas Barrett, 70, of Forty Acres Road, said: "The closure is diabolical. I used it every week for collecting my pension and other bits. I don't have a car so I will either walk or catch a bus to the main post office in town."

Michael Jefferys, 66, who is retired and lives a quarter of a mile from the One Stop shop, said: "It's such a shame, it really is going to be missed.

"I used the Post Office twice a week and although I've got a car that's not really the point. The closure is going to affect worst the older people who can't drive.

"I can walk to the One Stop shop and it was so much easier. There's bound to be more queues at the main Post Office."

Pauline King, 68, of Eastleigh Road, said: "The closure of the Post Office is a nuisance. The Post Office needs to think of the older people, they don't want to stand out in the cold waiting for a bus."

To tie in with the closure of the Post Office Tesco has started a major refurbishment of the store.

The store closed at 4pm on Monday and reopened yesterday at 6am.

Half of the store has been partitioned off while the refurbishment goes on.

The store will close again on Monday at noon and reopen at 6am on Wednesday although work will carry on for a month in total. The store will have a new fascia and will continue to be called One Stop.

Barbara Roberts, manager of the store, said: "It's a shame the Post Office is going but customers are looking forward to the store being refurbished, we've had a lot of positive comments about that.

"The layout of the store will be completely different."