Mystery surrounds closure of Southwick Square Post Office

Customers of the Southwick Square Post Office were greeted with a laminated message on closed shutters in March.

The handwritten note said the store would be closed because of “the bad situation” and would reopen when everything gets “back to normal”.

Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said he has been looking into the reasons behind the closure after concern from the local community.

He said: “The Post Office has been closed for quite a few months now.

“Originally I was told it was because the owner had been stuck abroad due to illness problems, but there’s more to it than that and I’m making representations to the Post Office because it’s really important we get that branch back open and working again.

“The Post Office can’t just close branches anyway, they have to replace them.”

The closed Post Office is the only one in Southwick and is believed to have been run by the owner for several years.

People now have to travel to the two nearest services in Mansell Road, Shoreham, or South Street in Portslade.

One customer wrote a letter to the Post Office to ask what was going on at the store.

The response read: “I am sorry to hear that the Southwick branch is closed temporarily, and you have been unable to use Post Office services there.

“The branch has been closed due to circumstances beyond the Post Office Ltd’s control.

“I can’t give you any further details about the closure as this information is private and confidential.

“I’m also unable to say at the moment when the branch will reopen.”

Amid the lockdown restrictions, Post Offices were designated an essential service, which means they should stay open to provide a vital lifeline for banking services, benefits, and to enable letters and parcels to be sent.

However, this was only as long as this can be done safely and with appropriate care for vulnerable postmasters and branch teams.

The Southwick Post Office joins the Western Road store in its closure.

Bosses said the temporary branch in Hove will remain shut as they are “unable to restore a service locally” and said no one has come forward to run the branch.

In a letter to customers, Post Office manager Graham Brander said: “We have been exploring our options for restoring a Post Office service to our customers in the area.

“The vacancy in Western Road was advertised on our website and a member of the field team has also personally visited the area, but so far we have received no interest or formal applications for the position.”

The Post Office was contacted for comment.