Residents 'furious' after Post Office near Preston closes

A Preston Post Office has closed – meaning residents could now have to take a five mile round trip to post a parcel.
Post OfficePost Office
Post Office

Grimsargh Post Office, between Preston and Longridge, closed last week following the resignation of its Postmaster.

And while the closure has been labelled as “temporary” by the company, it will remain closed for the foreseeable future due to it residing within another business; the Grimsargh Village Store in Preston Road.

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A Post Office spokesman said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Grimsargh Post Office following the resignation of the postmaster and withdrawal of premises for Post Office use.

“While we always work hard to maintain Post Office services, we are not the owner of the premises and regrettably, we are unable to re-open the branch at present.

It means that customers in the Preston village will have to travel to Longridge Post Office or Ribbleton Post Office, which are 2.7 miles and 2.1 miles away respectively.

One village resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said locals are “furious” at the situation, with alternative Post Offices a “long way if you haven’t got a car...especially if it’s urgent”.

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“We understand how important a Post Office can be to a community and would like to reassure customers that we will work hard to restore services to them as soon as possible,” a Post Office spokesman told the Post.

“In the meantime customers can access Post Office services at alternative branches, including our Ribbleton, Greenlands, Brookfield and Longridge branches.”

Chairman of Grimsargh Parish, Coun Lindsay Philipson, said: "The closure of the Post Office facility at our village store is obviously a matter of great regret.

"No village likes to lose an asset, and the speed of closure has taken us all by surprise.

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"However, we understand that it is a decision based on compelling business reasons between the owner of the store and Horizon, who run the service for the Post Office.

"We are fortunate to still have full postal facilities in Longridge, at Gamull Lane and at Brookfield, two of which are within minutes on a direct and frequent bus route, and all of which have parking facilities nearby."

Grimsargh Village Store has been contacted for further details on the future of the store’s Post Office counter.