HUNDREDS of residents have signed a petition against the proposed closure of a post office within a day of it being set up.

More than 690 signatures have already been collected against plans to merge Western Road Crown Post Office in Hove with its sister branch in Melville Road.

Campaigners say they are concerned about “elderly and infirm residents” being able to access the new "merged" post office and say they “wholly oppose plans” to close it.

Post Office bosses claim the number of customers using the Western Road Crown Office, on the corner with Brunswick Street, has declined in recent years and the branch is no longer “commercially sustainable”.

They have reassured residents that a review of services in the area has revealed “sufficient capacity” in the surrounding Post Office network for customers to continue to access services.

A 12-week consultation on the proposed move began this week and will close on September 16.

Comments and questions can be submitted through an online questionnaire at postofficeviews.co.uk, by FREEPOST Your Comments to Post Office Ltd, via email to comments@postoffice.co.uk, via the Customer Helpline on 08457 22 33 44 or Textphone 08457 22 33 55.

In all communications, customers are asked to quote branch code 01090799.

To sign the petition visit tinyurl.com/westernrdpo.