THE POST Office have refused to confirm when the Ferndown branch will reopen - with speculation the locks to the shop have been changed.

Residents have been unable to access the post office since last Wednesday and there appears to be no certainty over when the situation will be resolved.

Ward councillor Julie Robinson said the situation needed to be addressed as soon as possible and questioned the response of the post office.

"I think the post office really need to get their act together and communicate with local people so we know what is going on," Cllr Robinson said.

"I find it totally unacceptable. I have had residents complaining to me as they use the pay zone for their rent.

"I've had to visit the housing agency to try and resolve the situation as I have people who just can't pay their rents.

"Not everyone has got a debit card. It's all just so inconvenient."

Cllr Robinson added residents from the Heatherlands area were now forced to take two buses to access a post office with there being no end in sight for the closure.

The lack of a post office in the town has caused heightened problems due to customers of the now closed HSBC bank being advised to use the post office to cash cheques and withdraw money.

Tesco are the premises' landlords and they confirmed last week the closure was not a result of any action by the company and the sign which remains on the front of the shop confirms there is a dispute with the previous tenant regarding the lease.

The statement from the Post Office remains the same and they confirmed a team of staff are dealing with the situation.

A Post Office spokesperson said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Ferndown Post Office due to operational reasons.

"We are working hard with the postmaster to restore Post Office services to the area as soon as possible and in the meantime alternative branches for customers include West Moors, Wimborne and Parley Cross."