FOR the last three Saturdays, Farnham Residents councillors and supporters have been gathering signatures outside the main Farnham Post Office branch in West Street ahead of sending a petition to Post Office headquarters objecting to plans to relocate it to WHSmith in The Borough next year.

According to petitioners, the Farnham public and visitors have been “strongly supportive” of the campaign and signatures have also been gathered by many other supporters, including 101 Collectors Records and Pullingers.

Campaign and petition organiser George Hesse, the town councillor for Farnham Castle, said the WHSmith branch is “just far too small” to be suitable to effectively accommodate the important range of customer services provided “so professionally” by Farnham post office - as well as the considerable footfall the branch receives from customers.

He added that WHSmith was also “very poorly located in a street that many older residents and those with children find difficult”, citing the narrow pavement and high level of air pollution in the road.

“The thought of people queuing in The Borough with all kinds of diesel vehicles passing close by, including heavy trucks and vans, before opening time, as they often do at the West Street post office, is appalling, as this part of town has the worst air quality in Farnham,” he said.

Mr Hesse said that 1,866 residents had now signed the petition, which has being sent to Post Office network and sales director Roger Gale, and he thanked all the signatories for their “overwhelming support”.

Farnham Residents supporter David Wylde reported that the majority of people he spoke to outside the post office said that the proposed move was a “a real shock”.

Another backer, county councillor Andy MacLeod, said that many residents expressed “dismay” and in some cases anger at the current threats to a whole range of public services in Farnham, not just the post office but also the Bourne Mill recycling centre, library, and children’s centres.

“All this at a time of significant planned expansion in the housing stock and population in Farnham and surrounding areas, which will inevitably put further strain on services,” he continued.

All the Farnham Residents representatives, including councillor Scotty Fraser, reported a degree of resignation among some members of the public that changes such as this will happen regardless of whatever degree of public opposition is expressed.

While they understand this view, they see this change as such a bad idea that it should be possible to convince Post Office management not to do it.

The Post Office has indicated that it will run a six-week public consultation in the new year.