THE post office move from the High Street to the Co-op in Riverside shopping centre is a fait accompli according the Evesham's mayor Richard Hicks.

He and other town councillors battled on Monday with the head of the PO's Network Retail South Midlands manager, David Barrett, but to no avail.

Mr Barrett called the meeting after receiving a barrage of complaints about the lack of consultation before the announcement.

Mr Hicks said Mr Barrett admitted to councillors on Monday that the whole move was a cost-cutting exercise.

Coun Hicks said: "We presented him with a petition of more than 1,000 signatures and left him in no doubt how very angry we were - especially as we were never consulted.

"He told us last year the Post Office had to write off £500m, and the cost of running post office compared with franchises was costing the PO £50m a year."

Mr Barrett said an alternative supermarket in Evesham was not an option either because the Co-op was the only one prepared to take on the job.

He said that the building, rented from Post Office Property Holdings,, would be handed back for sale.

Coun Hicks said that although he felt there was little hope for Evesham post office, town councillors had resolved to complain bitterly to the minister in charge of PO Services Stephen Byers, with a copy to the Prime Minister.

Joined in

One of Evesham's Euro MPs, Liz Lynne has also joined in the fight after being inundated by residents when she visited the post office last Friday.

Living in North Littleton, she herself uses the post office and said: "We are running a petition to stop the closure which would be ridiculous. It makes you wonder when the deal was done.

"It is a question of a dreadful decision being made and it is something all the people of Evesham should fight."

She said other facilities could be installed, such as a cash machine, to enable the post office in its present form to remain viable.

"It is all a question of profit not service. The post office is a community place, not just a money-making place," she added.

Simon Wadley who works at Evesham and Pershore Housing Association over the road brings post and parcels daily to the post office despite being disabled.

He said: "It will be hopeless for people who have to carry stuff to the post office. I have to take them myself and would have to go much further which would be awful."

Members of the Communication Workers Union protested outside the post office on Saturday in a last ditch attempt to stop the closure.