A POST office in Lilliput has been given a stay of execution as developers join the fight to save it.

The post office in the One Stop in Sandbanks Road was to close on Tuesday before the store becomes a Tesco Express.

Because of structural work being done to the store the conversion date was put back until September 17 with the post office closing on September 14.

Residents gathered more than 10 pages of signatures to stop the post office closure and now the chairman and group managing director of Churchill Retirement Living, Spencer McCarthy, has written to Tesco.

The developer is currently building 50 retirement flats on the site of the former Beehive Pub in Sanbanks Road.

Mr McCarthy said: "Having read the article in the Daily Echo it concerned us the post office within One Stop in Lilliput was going to be closing.

"This raised concerns for the local community and in particular for our current retirement development.

"When providing retirement accommodation, one of the key criteria is to ensure there is a post office within half-a-mile of the development."

Elderly people were concerned they would not be able to get to the closest post offices in Canford Cliffs and Whitecliff.

Residents also say the post office is part of the community and a place where people meet. Hilary Monk, from Anthony's Avenue, said: "People feel very strongly about this and we will continue to get more signatures for our petition."

The petitions are in places including the Lilliput Surgery, Oddbins, Salterns Marina and Poole Harbour Boardsailing.

A Tesco spokesman said: "Closure of the One Stop store in Lilliput has been put back in preparation for conversion to a Tesco Express to allow for certain complex structural works to be undertaken."

Mr McCarthy is waiting for a response from Tesco. Royal Mail is looking for another shop owner in the Lilliput area to run a post office. If you are interested in running the post office call 08456 016260.

First published: August 12