The team at the central Frome Post Office were today (June 22) getting ready to close for good, after no one came forward to take on the franchise.

The busy and much-loved post office counter service is inside the Co-op in the Westway which itself is closing on June 24.

Much more than just somewhere to buy stamps, residents who want a passport or licence will need to travel to Melksham in Wiltshire or as far away as Bristol to access these desk services.

All the staff at the Post Office have been working there for years, and are heartbroken, not just to be losing their jobs, but at the loss for the local community who rely on them.

They told Nub News : " We are devastated, for everyone from the town too. We have built up such a customer relationship with so many people.

" The older community especially come in and get their pensions and they just say to us, what are we going to do? One old lady came in on Saturday and she was so anxious, she told us she couldn't go all the way up to Portway."

The staff worked through the coronavirus lockdowns, and have been hoping since the closure was first announced in February, that a business or investor would come forward to take it on as a going concern.

They added : " We always hoped at the back of our minds, right until today that someone might come in and be our saviour."