SHOPPERS in Scunthorpe town centre could lose their main post office, following the decision of the present operators to pull out.
The decision to close the business before Christmas comes less than four years after the branch was opened in the Fulton Foods discount store in The Parishes shopping centre.
The move is the second major blow for shoppers in the town centre, following the closure of the nearby BHS department store in July.
If a new operator is not found, six female employees in the post office face redundancy.
And hundreds of pensioners face a near one-mile trek to the nearest branch in the town's Henderson Avenue.
A Post Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the postmaster at our Scunthorpe branch has resigned and the office is scheduled to close on December 16.
"We would like to reassure customers the Post Office is committed to maintaining its service in Scunthorpe and we are already working hard to ensure this. "
Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin said: "The Post Office have confirmed to me that they are dedicated to keeping the town centre service and that they are currently working towards this.
"I will be in contact with them over the next few weeks to make sure that they continue with this course of action and to make sure that this vital service is preserved for local people."
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The current Scunthorpe postmaster Paul Gagen, at Fulton Foods, has so far declined to comment about the closure.
Post offices businesses in the town centre have led a chequered life.
Originally the business traded in Cole Street from 1905 until 2003 when it switched to a new site on Market Hill.
In May 2008, the-then Scunthorpe postmaster Tony Beety invested £100,000 on a second move to the site of the former Dee Jays fashion store, expressing confidence the relocation would regenerate trade in the High Street and increase footfall.
The High Street branch, which employed eight staff, closed down in May 2013 when it relocated to The Parishes.
For the first time in more than 100 years the new branch offered postal services on a Sunday.
Shoppers have been advised that other post offices in the area are: Old Brumby (1.4 miles), East Common Lane (1.6 miles), Scotter Road (1.8 miles) and Ashby High Street (2.2 miles)