THE closure of a post office in Totton means there's now only one outlet in the town where drivers can buy a road fund licence.

Calmore Stores, in Calmore Road, which has been operating for about 80 years, has suffered a sharp drop in trade since a nearby supermarket opened in the 1990s.

Sub-postmistress Rita Clifton and her husband Rick were already thinking of retiring when Post Office Ltd unveiled plans to axe the branch.

The couple spent their last day saying goodbye to customers who called in to thank them for all their hard work over the past 18 years.

Mrs Clifton, 59, ran the post office while her husband supervised the shop. Mr Clifton, 63, said: "Before we came here we were told that the locals could be a bit stand-offish, but we were made to feel very welcome. We've had some really good times since we took over in the mid-1980s.

"We got to know some terrific characters who always had some story to tell. I wish I'd kept a diary because I could have written a best-seller."

The couple are looking forward to taking life easy after almost two decades of getting up at 5am, seven days a week.

Mr Clifton said the business became even more of a tie after supermarket giant Safeway decided to open a branch at Michigan Way, Calmore.

He said: "We used to employ more people, which meant we could enjoy a bit of time off, but Safeway affected our trade and we had to reduce the number of staff.

"When Post Office Ltd decided to close us down we didn't object. Initially there was a lot of opposition to the closure, but then people realised that we wanted to go and they've been very understanding."

Motorists will have to go to the post office a mile away in Rumbridge Street when they need a new tax disc.