LOCAL councillors have launched a petition to reinstate a popular Southampton post office, after it was permanently closed last month.

The Lords Hill Post Office at Lordshill District Centre closed its doors for the final time on Tuesday June 30, after the store operator resigned.

Now labour councillors in the Coxford Ward, as well as Southampton Test MP, Alan Whitehead have launched a campaign to restore the service and urge residents to back their petition.

Councillor Matt Renyard, who organised the campaign, believes that it is vital a service is restored in the District Centre, as many elderly people use the post office regularly and heavily rely on it to claim their pensions.

He said: "It's vital that there is a post office service in the Lordshill District Centre, it is a primary transport hub for the area and the service was used by so many people before it closed.

"The ageing population find the post office to be incredibly valuable, I'm actually really surprised it's been closed down. We have been campaigning against this closure and have been asking for a reinstatement to no success so far, so we really want as much public support as possible to share and sign the petition."

After just two days of the petition going live, it has received more than 240 signatures, with many residents sharing messages of support.

One resident said: "This post office is very important to local residents, especially the elderly residents. Staff were always really excellent, polite and helpful, so please consider reopening this essential facility."

A Post Office spokesperson has said that the importance of the service is understood and they are "committed" to providing a post office in the area.

They said: "The operator for Lords Hill Post Office resigned and the premises, that we do not own, were withdrawn for Post Office on 1 July 2020. McColls took the hard decision to close the store and Post Office.

“We understand how important a Post Office is to a community and we are committed to providing a Post Office in the area. The vacancy is advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk

“Alternative branches include Maybush, Shirley Warren and Nursling.”

To sign the petition to reinstate the service, visit the change.org website.