Locals have been left shocked after an Oxfordshire Post Office suddenly announced its imminent closure.

The Drayton Post Office branch on The Green in Drayton, near Abingdon, unexpectedly closed on Friday, March 22.

Among the reasons given for the closure were the resignation of the postmaster and the withdrawal of the premises for the Post Office.

Releasing a letter informing the public of the changes, the company apologised for any inconvenience caused.

A statement from the Post Office said: “We are writing to inform you that, regrettably, following the resignation of the postmaster and the withdrawal of the premises for Post Office use, the above branch closed on Friday, March 22, 2024.

“Please accept our apologies for the late notification on this occasion.

“I would like to assure you that we are working hard to keep any period of closure to a minimum and we are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to reinstate a Post Office service to the local community.

“In exploring this, it is important that any future service is sustainable for the person operating the service, and for Post Office Limited.

“If you have any questions you would like to raise about this matter, please write to me via the National Consultation Team at the address shown at the end of the letter.

Oxford Mail: Drayton Post Office is now closed.Drayton Post Office is now closed. (Image: Google Maps)

“Please note that your comments will not be kept confidential unless you expressly ask us to do so by clearly marking them "In Confidence".

“Any future changes to service provision would be handled in line with our Principles of Community Engagement.

“We will display posters in the branch to inform customers.

“We apologise for the inconvenience the closure may cause. We hope that our customers will continue to use Post Office services and details of alternative Post Office branches in the area are shown at the end of this letter.

“If you are a local representative, we will write to you again once we have any news about our plans for future service provision.” 

A Post Office spokesperson said there is an applicant in progress for the Drayton branch.

The notice also named the nearest Post Office branches for customers to travel to with the two suggestions being Steventon and Milton.

Steventon is around 1.5 miles away from the Drayton branch whereas Milton is 2.3 miles away from the now closed branch.

David Johnston, MP for Wantage and Didcot, said: “I received this letter from the Post Office today about the unfortunate closure of the Drayton Post Office.

“I hope it will re-open soon, and I am in touch with the Post Office about this but be sure to share your views with the Post Office at comments@postoffice.co.uk.”