A GROUP have slammed Post Office for ignoring their concerns over accessibility issues at their Basingstoke store.

Access 4 All Basingstoke, who advise companies on their development plans to make sure they are fully accessible, say that despite multiple attempts to engage with the company before and after they moved their Basingstoke branch from London Road to WH Smith in The Malls, they have had no response.

They say that displays are blocking access to the Post Office, queuing barriers are inaccessible for wheelchair users and those with buggies, counters remain too high and Sunday opening times are not as agreed.

They also say that they tested to see whether staff would assist a blind person navigating their way to the post office, but on multiple occasions this did not happen.

“That makes us quite annoyed and frustrated really,” said Ian Edney, Chair of Access 4 All Basingstoke.

“What we would really like is for them to take some notice of what we said. We have invited them to come to our meetings to discuss things and sort things out to make them improve.

“We would like to be able to see an improvement so people who are using it can with greater ease.”

The group have advised several previous developments in the borough, including the installation of seats and rails along the main walkway in The Malls, and the John Lewis and Waitrose store in Basing View.

It comes after closures to Post Offices around Basingstoke have led to more and more people using the town centre branch.

As previously reported in the Gazette, a petition has been launched to re-open Chineham Post Office, which closed last year, whilst one has just re-opened in Popley.

WH Smith say that changes have been made to the store, whilst Post Office say that they are considering the report and will contact the group “in due course”.

A WH Smith spokesperson continued: “WH Smith is committed to providing vital postal services to over 200 of the communities we serve. Since the Post Office opened within our store in Basingstoke, we have received positive feedback from our customers; many comment on the more modern environment and extended opening hours. We listen carefully to customer feedback and we continue to review how we can improve our operations. We see our partnership with Post Office Limited as a complementary offering to our customers and we are committed to providing this important service in Basingstoke.”

A Post Office spokesperson said: “The Post Office take accessibility issues very seriously and continuously work with our franchise partners to help improve our ways of working and to ensure that customers with accessibility needs receive quality service.”