MORE than 500 people are demanding the return of a post office in Oxford.

Summertown once boasted three but has been without a post office since Martin’s newsagent on Banbury Road closed in 2008.

Campaigners have sent a letter with a 500-signature petition to Royal Mail informing them of “enormous” support for a new branch.

Summertown resident Sheila Glazebrook said: “We have to go a mile north or south to use a post office now and it seems absolutely ridiculous the Post Office should need any persuasion there’s a need for it here.

“This is a dense residential area and it should have a post office.”

The nearest branches are in St Giles and Wolvercote.

Liberal Democrat councillor Jean Fooks said: “This is a very obvious place to have a post office, we’ve had a massive response to this petition.”

The group hopes one possibility could be to open in the Summertown Library if enough money was raised.

Mrs Fooks said: “This idea would be a very exciting opportunity, as there is the possibility of a lot of space there.

“A lot of businesses here say we absolutely need one, a lot of elderly residents find it difficult to get elsewhere and foreign students here need to send things home.

“We are hoping we’ve put forward a very strong case and I hope they will listen.”

Simon Phillips works in a business off Banbury Road. He said: “It’s equally important to have a post office for businesses as well as residents. It’s incredibly inconvenient not to have a post office to hand.”

On the other side of Oxford, Barton residents are also waiting for their post office to reopen.

The sub-post office in Underhill Circus shut in February after the resignation of the sub-postmaster.

City councillor Van Coulter repeatedly wrote to Royal Mail asking for an update.

Last night he said: “The post office have not been able to identify an individual who is willing to take on the duties of sub-postmaster.

“Simply, it is not enough to identify where the sub-post office needs to be. A suitable and willing man or woman is needed to come forward.

“To me, it’s bad news. I can identify where the post office needs to be, but I cannot identify a willing and able individual to take the risk.”

Royal Mail spokesman Richard Hall said: “Customer usage of Post Office branches has continued to fall as both our clients and customers switch to alternative channels such as the internet.

“We must, therefore, always look at the best way to meet our service obligations to customers in the face of changing customer needs and an increasingly challenging commercial environment. We will be contacting councillors Fooks and McCready to discuss the matter further.

“We remain committed to restoring a Post Office branch in Underhill Circus and continue to seek a solution to bring services back to customers.”