TIME is running out for Yeovil Express readers to sign our Save Our Post Office petition in support of a campaign to safeguard the future of the town's main post office in King George Street - you only have a few more days to sign it (writes Steve Sowden).

And Yeovil MP David Laws - who is fronting the campaign - has urged people to sign up now as he will be receiving the petition forms from Express chief reporter Steve Sowden on Monday morning.

Mr Laws said: "I remain extremely concerned about the future of Yeovil's main post office as there has still been no assurances from Royal Mail as to whether it will be closed or remain open following its review of post offices nationally."

There are mounting fears that the post office in King George Street could close after Royal Mail said it would be reviewing all its Crown Post Offices in the UK after losses of more than £70-million last year.

The Yeovil Express launched its petition at the end of last year as part of its Save Our Post Office campaign and so far hundreds of readers have put their signature to it.

Mr Laws added: "I hope as many people as possible will sign up to the post office campaign. The more signatures we have the more effective the petition will be when it is presented to the Department of Trade and Industry."

The MP will hand the petition over to 10 Downing Street where officials will then present it to the DTI in the hope that it might make the powers-that-be at the Royal Mail see sense and keep the very busy post office in King George Street open.

The Express has received many letters and phone calls from readers extremely worried as to what they would do for all their postal services if the King George Street branch was closed as part of Royal Mail's review.

Only last week Yeovil Town Council gave its unanimous backing to the campaign with councillors stating that any possible closure would be a retrograde step for the town.

Editor-in-Chief of the Express, Ken Bird, said: "We have been amazed at the amount of petition forms we've received. But it just illustrates the depth of feeling there is running through the community at the moment that if the post office closed it would create so many problems for so many people.

"We have had plenty of letters and emails from readers all stating that the post office in King George Street is a lifeline for them and have said that it is used for many different reasons other than just buying stamps and sending parcels.

"It is vital that if you have not already signed the petition then please do so. As Mr Laws has said, the more signatures we get the more pressure our campaign will put on the Royal Mail to keep the post office open.

"Far too many post offices in Somerset have been closed, but to see the long-standing and extremely well-used post office in King George Street would be an absolute disaster for the people of Yeovil and the surrounding area and all of the businesses who see it as an important service facility."

The Yeovil Chamber of Commerce was quick to back the Save Our Post Office campaign when it was first launched and the group's president David Mills said that any possible closure would have a detrimental effect on local businesses.

Please sign the petition form found in the Express and return it to the Yeovil Express at 46 Princes Street, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 1EQ.

The Express would like to hear from readers about the possible closure of the post office. Your letters will help the Save Our Post Office campaign and will be presented to the Royal Mail.

Please write to: Steve Sowden, Chief Reporter, Yeovil Express, 46 Princes Street, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 1EQ. Or email stephen.sowden@countygazette.co.uk