CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to carry on their fight after Royal Mail bosses confirmed delivery offices were to close.

Staff from the centres in Herne Bay and Whitstable will be based at Canterbury by next year as managers press ahead with plans to modernise the service.

A new mail centre in Rochester will be the only processing centre in the county, handling 3.2 million letters and parcels each night, while the district's deliveries will be managed from Canterbury.

Bosses say the change will help them deal with fewer letters and more parcels, but opponents say it will mean more congestion and pollution.

Customers will have to travel to Canterbury to pick up parcels and all delivery staff will start their rounds from there, driving to the coastal towns.

David Shepherd, who helped to organise the campaign against the closures – including protest marches and meetings attended by hundreds of people – said the decision was disappointing.

He added: "Royal Mail says the closures will cut mileage and its carbon footprint.

"But we have estimated that there will be more than a million miles extra each year because of staff travelling to and from work and then onto their rounds, and people coming to pick up their parcels.

"The main routes into Canterbury are already polluted and congested and this will just make it worse."

Campaigners are now hoping to convince bosses to provide a small base in each town for parcel pick-ups. Mr Shepherd said: "They have had two years to arrange something and have done nothing.

"This proves they don't care about their customers or their staff.

"Some workers have no idea how they will get to work or where they will park and managers don't seem to care."

Royal Mail's regional operations director for the South East, Tom Willis, said: "The interests of our customers will be considered as a top priority during these operational changes and we do not expect they will impact on the delivery service we provide to our customers.

"In most cases, the same delivery person will be responsible for carrying out the same walks as they do now, and the vast majority of deliveries will be completed at approximately the same time as they are now.

"These changes are vital to put Royal Mail on a secure and sustainable footing for the future.

"We will do all we can to minimise disruption to customers and ensure we maintain the high level of service they expect and deserve from Royal Mail."

Herne Bay delivery office is due to close in August and the Whitstable office will shut in January next year.