QUEEN Street Post Office could close permanently as part of a fresh look at branch provision in Newton Abbot.

The branch, temporarily closed in February after an audit, will be among those considered in a review of sub-post offices in the town.

The outcome of the review for Newton Abbot will be known in July.

But, in a letter presented to Newton Abbot's Town Council Finance and General Purposes Committee on Wednesday, Post Office contracts manager Adrian Skinner said it was still looking at re-opening the branch.

'We will re-open the branch if a suitable interim subpostmaster becomes available. We have not, to date, been able to find a person with the experience to do that, however.'

A shopkeeper in Queen Street has shown interest in having a post office at his premises, an option that will be considered, subject to the outcome of the branch provision review, said Mr Skinner.

Councillors agreed to support the re-opening of a post office in Queen Street.

Cllr David Howe was not optimistic: 'If you read between the lines of this letter, it seems to me that we are not going to get it back.'

Cllr Daphne Watts said: 'It is of grave concern to so many people in Newton Abbot because it will mean the main post office will be the only one in town. As it is, it takes so long to get served in there.

'If they do not get a post office up and running in Queen Street in the next 12 months, we should be on to the post office to make alternative arrangements. It is not practical or reasonable,' she said.

Since the closure of the branch, counter staff at the main post office has increased to accommodate the extra workload.

Cllr Henry Cole said queues had stretched outside the shop. 'A post office will bring income into a shop. When Milber Post Office closed, everyone came down to Buckland,' he said.

Cllr Allan Vizor said that new pension and benefit systems introduced had affected the viability of post offices.

'It is the reason why some subpostmasters are bowing out,' he said.

Newton Abbot has lost post offices in Milber and Highweek in recent years.