A NEW Forest family is battling to stop a telegraph pole from being put up outside their shop and post office.

Iris Winkle, whose family has run Fourways Stores and Bartley Post Office for 25 years, claims it will drive away trade from the beleaguered business.

It is the latest blow to the New Inn Road store which, like thousands of other post offices around the country, has struggled to cope with dwindling trade.

Grandmother of two Iris, 76, believes BT bosses are installing the pole in the wrong place because the pavement is so narrow. Customers will be forced to walk in the road and vehicles which park alongside the pole will be unable to open their passenger door, she claims.

Over the road there is a patch of pavement, barely used by anyone, that would make an ideal alternative location, she said.

But she has been told she cannot appeal against the decision until after the pole has been put up.

Iris said: "I'm not at all happy. The more we try to get on the more hassle we have with people trying to stop us.

"It's the lack of trade it's going to cause in the long run with the repairs they have to do every time there's a huge downpour of rain or every time there's something wrong with the telephones."

BT spokesman Jason Mann said: "Our surveyor has looked at the locality and taken into account our own engineering needs and he intends to put the pole in what he believes to be the most appropriate location."

Mr Mann said the pole could not be located on the other side of the road, as suggested by Mrs Winkle, because of nearby overhead power cables.

But he said she was welcome to appeal after the pole is erected.