LEAVING Wimborne without a post office is not good enough.

That’s the message from campaigners who have set up a petition to get a temporary service in the centre of the town while buildings that were gutted by fire are repaired.

It’s now been a month since a massive fire swept through buildings including Martin’s newsagent, and the town has been without a post office ever since as the branch was within the shop.

Wimborne county councillor Robin Cook and prospective MP Nick King have launched the petition which calls on Post Office Ltd to provide a temporary facility by next month and to work together with Martin McColl Ltd to reinstate a permanent Post Office Counters presence by the end of the year. It also calls on East Dorset District Council to do all it can to facilitate these services.

Cllr Cook said: “The proposed site for the temporary office is at the back of the Minster, well away from the shopping area and local businesses. Post Office Ltd need to know the level of concern in Wimborne over their foot dragging.” Prospective MP Nick King said the post office was vital for the business community and an essential lifeline for older people without transport.

“My fear is that they are deliber-ately placing hurdles in the way of the temporary office so that they don’t have to provide a facility. “It’s a small step from the situation to their arguing that the town can then do without an office.”

Bob Walter MP said he was “extremely frustrated” by the lack of progress and he failed to see why Post Office did not just go ahead with a temporary structure and apply for retrospective planning permission.

Mike Hirsh, head of planning and building control at East Dorset District Council, said they had walked with post pffice representatives around the town looking at suitable sites and would accept a retrospective planning application to ensure there was no delay in getting the post office back into the town.

A Post Office spokeswoman said: “We are keen to restore Post Office services in Wimborne as quickly as possible.

“We are looking at a number of options and would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience.”