Residents and politicians have voiced their disapproval over the closure of a Bangor post office.

The post office, which was located in the Late Stop shop, on Holyhead Road, in Upper Bangor, has been replaced by a weekly mobile service.

The one-hour Wednesday post office, in Morrisons car park, has been described by AM Sian Gwenllian as “not acceptable” for the community’s needs.

MP Hywel Williams said the post office was an “important hub” and he “fully supports” the campaign to secure a future for the Upper Bangor post office.

A public meeting was organised by Plaid Cymru Bangor at Capel Penrallt, Bangor, where local people and the business community shared their frustrations.

The post office had previously temporarily closed on February 24, due to “operational reasons”. The one-hour service came in on March 14.

Cllr Catrin Wager, who organised the meeting with fellow Gwynedd county councillor Mair Rowlands, said: “A service that runs for one hour a week simply isn’t a suitable replacement for a full-time post office.

“The post office in Upper Bangor has always been busy. It’s used by a wide variety of people; from local businesses, to older residents, to students.”

Cllr Rowlands said: “This is an essential service both for postal services but also for banking and paying bills. “We are also disappointed, as local representatives, that we were only informed of the problems by the Post Office five weeks after the branch was closed.

“For the sake of our residents, it’s essential that we see full-time services restored as soon as possible.”

Brenda Owen, manager at Dimensions health store on Holyhead Road, said: “We have a vibrant high street in Upper Bangor and local businesses are working hard to keep it that way. For those of us who do online retail, the post office is essential.  “It takes a good hour to now take items down to Bangor High Street post office by the time you’ve walked or parked and then queued. For a small business that means paying at least an hours’ salary or shutting your shop, each time you need to get some items to the post. That isn’t viable.”

Tracey Williams, of In Stitches, said: “I have a lot of older residents coming into my shop telling me that not having a regular post office counter service is causing them a huge problem.”  At the meeting Upper Bangor’s older residents explained how difficult it was to collect their pensions now. Some also felt it was unfair on older people who may not feel comfortable carrying out banking and payment services online, as they are being encouraged.

Arfon AM Siân Gwenllian said: “The post office must get a permanent base in Upper Bangor.” This is a vibrant business in close proximity to the University campus and has many older residents. The present situation, an hour’s mobile service in Morrisons car park, is not acceptable.”

Hywel Williams Plaid’s Arfon MP said: “There is certainly enough trade to demand the continuation of this vital community post office.

A Post Office spokesman said: “We sincerely apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Upper Bangor post office.We understand and appreciate how much communities rely on our services. We would like to reassure customers that the decision to suspend services at any of our branches is never taken lightly. We take very seriously any decision to temporarily close a branch, and will only do so when it is warranted.  “In the meantime the postmaster who runs Maesgeirchen post office has added Upper Bangor community to his mobile route to provide essential services. It’s unfortunately not possible to extend the time period the mobile post office is available because of other commitments. We are continuing to work hard to restore services to the community as quickly as possible.”