Southern Co-op has confirmed the store in Clevedon will be closing next month.

The store, in Old Street, and the post office will close on April 24 at 1pm.

The shop, which is part of Southern Co-op, has four alternative stores within 10 miles of the store in Old Street.

Residents of the town have said ‘it is a real shame’ upon hearing the news of the closure.

A resident who wished to remain anonymous said: “Clevedon needs more than one small post office, there was at one time three post offices in the town along with one at Tickenham and one in Kenn, two of which were large offices.

“Hopefully there’s a plan to provide the very important services which many pensioners rely on at present.”

Co-op chief operating officer Simon Eastwood said the decision was made before the coronavirus outbreak.

He said: “We thought long and hard before taking this decision to close – a decision we’re all very aware will be incredibly difficult for people to understand at the moment.

“The decision was made before the COVID-19 outbreak but, having explored alternatives, we have been unable to move the date for closure due to contractual obligations.

“This is a commercial decision based on a number of external factors and does not in any way reflect negatively on the hard work and commitment of our colleagues in our retail store.

“We have looked at how the community will continue to be supported after the closure and are reassured that there are a large number of alternative supermarkets and convenience stores nearby. Our focus needs to be on supporting our colleagues over the next few months and beyond. It has already been a challenging time for all of us and we are extremely sad that we have been unable to keep this store open.”

A spokesman from the Post Office said: “The operator for The Triangle Post Office has resigned and the premises that we do not own, will be withdrawn for post office on April 24 at 1pm.

“The store will also be closing due to the expiry of the lease.

“We understand how important a post office is to a community and we are committed to providing a post office in the area as soon as possible. In the interim an alternative branch includes West End.”