THE absence of a post office in Hardgate is having a “detrimental impact” on the area, according to a politician and the community council.

Residents in Duntocher, Faifley and Hardgate have had no option but to travel three miles to their nearest post office in Clydebank for the last 14 months.

The branch, which was situated at 580 Kilbowie Road, closed last year after the resignation of the postmaster and withdrawal of the premises from Post Office use.

Following confirmation Post Office was unable to identify a suitable solution, it was announced it would remain temporarily closed.

Tom Patton, chair of Duntocher and Hardgate Community Council, said elderly residents have been the hardest hit.

He told the Post: “This affects the older generation. They can’t quite easily hop on a bus and fight their way down to Clydebank.

“The Clydebank Post Office has huge queues at times. I would agree that something has to be done. It’s something that the three areas should have as a right.

“We will continue to press for the reinstatement of post office facilities. We are thinking about older age pensioners – pensions, banking and all sorts of stuff.

“Even sending letters abroad, they have got to go to Clydebank. Why can’t we have one in quite a thriving area?

“There’s a lot of folk out here. We would contend that there’s sufficient numbers of people around about here that the post office should be a viable concern.”

Faifley resident Gordon Scanlan described Hardgate as a hub for people in the area and is hopeful the service can return.

He said: “We don’t have crucial services like a post office up in Faifley. Often I would come down to Hardgate and use the post office.

“There’s so many things I would use it for, like passports or a driver’s licence. But I think the most crucial thing is I have elderly relatives who stay in Duntocher, who couldn’t get a bus to Clydebank and use the post office there. They used to come to this one and it’s not here anymore.”

Meanwhile, Martin Docherty-Hughes MP slammed the continued closure as “completely unacceptable” and demanded an urgent meeting with Post Office bosses.

He said: “The post office plays a critical role in ensuring the vibrancy of our local communities – providing a range of important services to residents and local businesses.

“Post Office bosses say they’re committed to restoring the post office at Hardgate, but it’s now over 14 months since it closed and this is having a detrimental impact on our local communities.

“This is completely unacceptable. I have asked for an urgent meeting with Post Office Ltd to press the need for a serious plan to secure a new operator in Hardgate.

“Government guidelines state that urban areas like Hardgate should be within one mile of their nearest post office. Yet local residents, who are often elderly and vulnerable, are currently forced to travel up to three miles to access the Clydebank branch.

“The communities of Hardgate, Faifley and Duntocher have been left without a post office for too long.”

Post Office apologised for the situation.

A company spokeswoman said: “We’re really sorry for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Hardgate Post Office following the resignation of the postmaster and the withdrawal of premises from Post Office use. The branch was run by an independent retailer who closed their shop and at the same time resigned from the post office.

“While we always work hard to maintain post offices, we need to find another suitable location and someone to take over the running of these services, and in this instance, we are still searching for the right premises and agent.

“We understand how important post office services can be to a community and we don’t want post offices to stay closed. That’s why we always look for alternatives so we can continue serving customers and communities.”