Sir – Visiting the main Oxford Post Office in St. Aldates is a depressing, time-wasting and occasionally (depending upon the queueing clientele) unpleasant experience.

Unfortunately, given the closures of local branches in the area, it is often unavoidable as the Post Office is the “gateway” for so many services (special delivery, benefits and pensions, international driving licences, car tax discs etc) apart from simply posting items via the Royal Mail. The St Aldates branch is inadequate to the task: the queue is usually 25-35 people, the wait for service is often as long as 30 minutes (very tiring for the elderly), and the two Post and Go self-service machines simply reflect the complexity of postal charges that have been developed for size, weight and shape — they are barely used as a consequence.

Waiting times are exacerbated by the large number of foreign students and visitors to Oxford who have quite understandable difficulties in comprehending the postal processes.

There seem rarely more than four to five counter staff at any given time, and when transactions are completed they create further delays and some frustration by enquiring as to whether they can interest you with unsolicited offers about house, contents and life insurance, telephone top-up cards, credit card and banking facilities etc.

It is to be hoped that resources will be found to improve conditions for a public that has largely no choice but to use a facility that is so evidently struggling to provide a public service to the community.

Giles Payne, Oxford