The closure of a Suffolk market town’s Post Office has been confirmed, forcing elderly and less mobile residents to travel miles to other branches.

A spokesperson for the postal service said an applicant had sought to keep Sudbury’s Post Office at its current location in the WH Smith store in Market Hill, but this "had not been possible" and the service will now close on June 9.

He said: “We’re deeply sorry to inform local residents in Sudbury that the Post Office will close on June 9.

“We did have interest from an applicant who wanted to retain Post Office services at the existing location.

“However, this has unfortunately not been possible. The applicant and Post Office are working hard to find alternative premises in the area where a Post Office can operate.

“We are also working on contingency plans to provide a temporary service in the short term until a permanent branch can be established. The nearest alternative branch to Sudbury is at Great Cornard.”

Former Sudbury Mayor councillor Sue Ayres said she was very concerned for people who don’t have their own transport and said there were many empty shops in the town that could accommodate a Post Office.

She added: “I feel that the Post Office has had time to find an alternative location. There are empty shops in Sudbury and I am very concerned for the people of Sudbury. It is the people who do not have transport and the elderly and I just feel it has not been thought through carefully.”

She also reflected on the growing size of the town with new housing developments on the way, adding that smaller villages nearby still had Post Offices, such as Long Melford and Great Waldingfield.

“We have got 20,000 in the town and it is rising all the time. We have got this big development of 1,500 houses between Sudbury and Great Waldingfield and we need a Post Office,” she added.

The decision to close comes in spite of a petition with 1,200 signatures calling for the Post Office to be saved, which was launched by Patrick Crew, director of taxi firm Sudbury Cars.

He said he regularly used the Business Click and Go service so he could ship globally for an online business he created during the pandemic.

Of the latest news, Mr Crew said: “The Post Office in Cornard is very small and would struggle to cope with the volume of footfall generated by Sudbury’s Post Office.

“It is not easy to get to and has very limited parking. This will make accessing their services difficult, particularly for the older generation.”