Bosses at Banbury's main Post Office apologise for long queues after temporarily reducing opening hours

Bosses at Banbury's main Post Office have apologised for the long queues after temporarily reducing its opening hours.

Shoppers have been in contact with the Banbury Guardian to express their frustration, with some turning up at the branch to find it shut.

The Post Office said the current problem is down to a staff shortage and it is addressing this issue. It hopes to recruit more staff in the near future so it can get back to normal working hours.

One shopper said she feels sorry for the staff who are having to deal with the long queues at the Castle Quay branch, based inside WHSmith.

"It is very poor service from a very large service company," she said.

"Some days the Post Office is only open for four hours!

"It's not the fault of the very few staff that do work there and I feel very sorry for them as many people are very frustrated at the long queues.

“I've lost count of the times I have specifically made a journey into Castle Quay to visit the Post Office to post an important item only to find it's closed."

"Recently, I went there before 4pm as they've often closed at 4pm only to find they're now closing at 2pm. There were quite a few other customers wanting to use the Post Office who were equally as fed up as I was."

A WHSmith spokesperson said: “Unfortunately Banbury Post Office branch has been experiencing short-term staffing issues and is therefore currently operating at reduced hours.

"The store is currently recruiting and we hope to return to usual operating hours as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

A Post Office spokesperson: “Whilst this branch is experiencing short-term staffing issues we recommend that customers visit www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder to find the current opening hours.

"Alternative branches in the area also include Ruscote Arcade, Easington, Bradley Arcade and Chatsworth Drive. We hope that normal opening hours will soon be restored to Banbury Post Office.”

But one shopper said that some shoppers can't go online to check. She also added: "Not everyone is able to get to other Post Offices out of town."