AN MP has launched a campaign to bring Post Office services back to a Somerset town.

Sarah Dyke (Lib Dem, Glastonbury & Somerton) has backed calls for a counter to return to Somerton after the town’s former service shut down in 2022 – leaving 6,000 residents without a Post Office.

Ms Dyke’s backing comes as Mr and Mrs Thievendran, owners of Somerton Stores, were told by the Post Office they would need to self-fund a new counter in their shop – at a cost of £20,000.

“The closure of Somerton Post Office three years ago has been devastating for the town,” Ms Dyke said. “The nearest services remaining to residents are located out in the villages of Compton Dundon and Long Sutton – more than three miles away each and challenging to reach for those without private transport in a region with limited public transport.

“With the recent closure of several other Post Offices in the area – including counters at Butleigh, Charlton Adam and Charlton Mackerell – people in Somerton, a town of some 6000 residents, are left seriously deprived of these vital services.

“Local business owners are of course also affected by the lack of a town centre Post Office, and the local community as a whole has lost a critical neighbourhood hub.”

When they took over Somerton Stores last year, the Thievendrans looked into restoring a Post Office counter in the town after receiving hundreds of requests from customers.

“The nearest Post Offices at Compton Dundon and Long Sutton are sometimes difficult for people from Somerton to reach if they have no transport,” Mrs Thievendran said. “Customers here in Somerton are desperate for a Post Office service to be reinstated in their town.”

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A petition launched by the family garnered more than 800 signatures – but they were told they would need to find £20,000 to make it a reality.

Ms Dyke added: “In my role as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Rural Services I’m committed to ensuring our rural communities are properly served.

“Reinstating a Post Office in Somerton is critical not only to the town’s residents but also to local businesses.

“Together with presenting a petition to Parliament on this matter, I will be contacting the Post Office’s chief executive, its regional director and other relevant parties urgently to explore how the barriers to opening a Post Office counter at Somerton Stores and other in-need locations across the Glastonbury & Somerton constituency can be overcome.”