Post Office customers have pleaded with a retailer to deliver better service after weeks of delays and unexpected closures at their Farnham branch.

The Herald has received several calls and emails about poor customer service at the branch in WHSmith in recent weeks with waits of nearly an hour being reported.

Closing times at the branch on The Borough have also been irregular with some customers reporting wasted journeys and fretting over parking tickets.

The Herald found a dozen customers waiting at an unmanned desk after being called by an irate customer on August 22. The wait was worsened because the self-service option wasn’t available due to technical issues.

The woman heading the queue said she had waited over half an hour with no staff present. Some behind her spoke of similar experiences in recent months with another calling it “lucky” the branch had not shut for the day.

“You’re better off going to Tongham Post Office, said one customer, with another calling it a day.

“Only one position was open and some of the staff pretended to be busy and ignored the lengthening queue,” said another customer following a separate visit.

“I had waited over 20 minutes and others were also fed up. I will not be attempting to use it again unless there is a vast improvement”

The complaints have been noted by WHSmith with new recruits being taken on and reviews being promised.

"We are committed to delivering high standards of customer service across every Post Office,” said a spokesperson for the retailer.

“Unfortunately the Farnham branch has faced ongoing staff shortages and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused customers.

“The branch has recently completed additional recruitment which will support customer service at the Post Office and we will keep this under review."