Anger over plans to turn Ely PO into mobile phone shop

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Anger over plans to turn Ely Post Office into mobile phone shop

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Plans to turn Ely’s Post Office into a mobile phone shop have sparked fury among locals.

Angry residents have described proposals to turn the branch into a Phones 4 U shop as “tragic” and say a mobile phone chain is the “last thing” the city needs.

Ely News reported last week that bosses at Phones 4 U have applied for planning permission to take over the branch in High Street.

Janice Cooper, of Ely’s Beresford Road, said: “To think that we could lose our post office to another mobile phone shop is tragic and quite frankly insulting.

“There is no way Ely can survive without a post office so I hope Post Office Ltd are being truthful when they say that another branch will be opened in the city.

“What angers me is that yet again we will have something else in our High Street that we don’t really need. It’s ridiculous.”

Richard Piccaver, from Little Downham, said: “The last thing Ely needs is another mobile phone shop. Losing the post office is bad enough but losing it to a Phones 4 U is awful as there’s a mobile phone shop just yards down the High Street.”

The application comes just weeks after post office staff expressed fears that the branch could close - and that Ely would be left without its own post office.

But a spokeswoman for Post Office Ltd says the company is “committed” to maintaining a post office service in Ely.

She said: “We are aware that the agent which operates Ely Post Office has expressed an interest in leaving and that the premises will be withdrawn for post office use later this year.

“Customers should be assured that the Post Office Ltd is committed to maintaining a post office service in Ely and we will soon be in a position to announce our public consultation about the relocation of this branch.”

Nobody from Phones 4 U was available to comment.