A Post Office in Kingston has closed for an audit during the busiest time of the year, with no indication of whether it will re open in time for Christmas.

Christmas is a busy time for everybody – not least the Post Office, with millions of gifts and cards being delivered across the country in the run-up to December 25.

So the decision to close for an audit before the festive season has come as a big surprise to customers at one branch in Kingston Hill.

The bureau, based inside convenience store Millennium Food and Wine, reportedly shut two weeks ago, with no indication of when it will return.

A notice in the store window reads: "We are sorry that this Post Office branch is temporarily closed for routine audit purposes.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our customers."

Customer Carl Kember from Coombe Road, a retired post office worker, said:  "I think you could do without having an important post office in a very busy area being closed during Christmas.

"It's incredibly inconvenient at the busiest time of year."

Post office manager Sutha Panchlingam, who also runs Millennium Food and Wine, said the closure was only temporary, but added: “I don’t know how long it will be closed for.”

A Post Office spokeswoman apologised to customers, but could not provide further details on why the branch was being audited now or if and when it would re-open.

She said: “We would like to reassure customers that we are working hard to restore the service to the community as soon as possible and are committed to maintaining services in the area.

“In the meantime, customers can access Post Office services at branches in Park Road, Hawks Road or Richmond Road.”