Residents of Street are bracing for the loss of their main post office counter as WHSmith announces the closure of its store.

WH Smith, now scheduled to close its doors on 4 January, is attached to the now-empty and closed Crispin Centre.

This closure means a significant portion of Street's high street retail space will soon be vacant.

A spokesperson from the Post Office confirmed the news, stating, "WHSmith, which operates Street Post Office, has made the difficult decision to close its store on 4 January. The vacancy is advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk and we would welcome interest from local retailers for this business opportunity."

The Post Office counter at West End will remain open, providing some relief to residents.

Rita Rogers expressed her disappointment, saying, "Not good news at all. I feel for the staff, all absolutely lovely people. Not good at all for Street; losing WH Smith is a big part of the diminishing high street."

Dave Allan highlighted the broader impact on banking services saying: "Also, all of us who have already lost our bank branches have to rely on the post office to do everyday banking. What on earth are we meant to do now? The local village post offices are slowly closing too."

While Mark Tobin called it 'simply the worst news.' "Not just for the wonderful team that will lose their jobs and the loss of another service to the local community, some of them vulnerable and not able to travel to other towns or areas, but devastating for Street High Street," he said. "Hope a recovery plan can be put in place or another site found on the High Street for the post office. They offer so many services, not just as the post office but with the decline of local banks … For many of us, our only opportunity for banking services."

A WH Smiths spokesperson said: "Regrettably, it is not sustainable for us to continue trading in this location.

"We remain in discussion with our landlord, however we expect our store in Street to close in early 2025."