A SUB-POSTMISTRESS has slammed the “mindless vandals” who forced the closure of her Post Office leaving elderly customers with a long walk to the nearest branch.

A SUB-POSTMISTRESS has slammed the “mindless vandals” who forced the closure of her Post Office leaving elderly customers with a long walk to the nearest branch.

Jayne Nicholson arrived at Northgate Street Post Office in Great Yarmouth last Friday morning to find yobs had posted a special delivery of their own through her letterbox- bucketfuls of beach sand.

The front mat nearest the door was completely covered, and she had to use a considerable amount of force to get the door open because of the weight of sand.

A postbox outside her store had also been filled with sand, ruining any letters inside it.

Miss Nicholson said she had spoken to an employee at a neighbouring business who told her a number of drunken youths had been thrown off a bus she was travelling on in near Northgate Street.

And she had also spoken to a nearby butcher who lives in an upstairs flat who told her there had been a lot of noise in the street between 9.30pm and 10pm.

The attack forced the closure of her post office and shop between 8.30am and midday on Friday causing her to lose business as well as causing inconvenience to her customers who had to use the next nearest branch, the main Post Office in Yarmouth Market Place.

Ironically, Miss Nicholson's store has been earmarked for closure as part of Royal Mail plans to shut 2,500 branches across the country and she has collected 7,000 signatures for a petition calling for her branch to be saved.

She said: “There have been several customers who have had to walk a long way including the elderly because of what these mindless vandals have done.”

She added: “We have so much stress at the moment with the petition and to have this happen as well is devastating.”

Although the store has CCTV, the cameras are not focused on the main entrance.