A Royal Mail delivery office that has served a community for 60 years will soon shut its doors for the last time.

The South Woodford sorting office in Marlborough Road was first rumoured to be moving to Station Road in Chingford in October, with employees branding it a “massive blow” and a “very, very sad day”.

But the postal giant has today (Friday, February 10) confirmed that after talks with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the office will be moving in the “summer or autumn of this year”.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail needed to find a new location for its South Woodford delivery operations as it is currently housed in an old building that no longer meets our requirements, given the changing mailbag.

“South Woodford does not have sufficient parking space for Royal Mail vehicles, or for moving mail around safely on site. It also does not provide any customer parking.

“As a commercial business, we are responding to the huge growth in electronic communications and decline in letter volumes, while seeing a high volume of parcels and online shopping which need to be delivered to customers.

"We have explored options for retaining a mail collection facility in South Woodford using a local Post Office branch but it does not have sufficient space to offer this service.

“Detailed planning will now begin to ensure a smooth transition for our operations, our people and the service we provide to customers.

“There will be no impact on mail deliveries to customers, who will continue to be served by the same postmen and women.”

A petition to save the South Woodford branch collected over 1,500 signatures and was submitted to Redbridge Town Hall last week.

But the spokesman added that although it “welcomed feedback from customers” during its public consultation period, the need to increase efficiency and modernise facilities was too great to keep it open.

It also claims the Station Road office can provide a better service, with more staff and customer parking, room for deliveries, and longer opening hours.

Local politicians have expressed major concern the elderly, disabled, and those without cars will not be able to make the 3.6 mile journey from South Woodford to Chingford to pick up their post.

Combined with the possible franchise of the Crown Post Office in George Lane, the South Woodford Society slammed the move as an “attack on our community".

The jobs of the 25 people employed at the office in Marlborough Road are not believed to be at risk.