IT was the end of an era for Post Office counter staff in Preston at the weekend.

Despite a city-wide campaign to save the Birley Street office the blinds were pulled down on Saturday, October 5, for the last time and the post boxes sealed.

Counter staff who worked in the Grade II listed building in the city centre have now quit their jobs and will not be taking up new positions with employer Keybase Ltd at the new Urban Exchange development, Theatre Street, where the new post office is housed. A Post Office spokesman said the new site has a full compliment of employees, some of whom have never worked for the postal service.

The former employees were offered a number of options when the decision to close the branch was finalised. However, Communication Workers Union representative for Preston, Ray Atkins, says the reason behind the workers' failure to take up the option of transferring to the new location is because they don't want to work for Keybase Ltd.

"The company has no track record of delivering Post Office matters. The terms and conditions of employment would not be the same," Mr Atkins said.

Despite the Theatre Street branch opening on Monday this week the ground floor unit is bound up in legal red tape. Architects Frank Whittle Partnership, of Ribblesdale Place, has now submitted a new planning application, which will be discussed on Monday, October 14, to retain the building as it stands, which is not in line with the original application.