Residents fed up with long queues say Canterbury city centre’s only Post Office has become a joke.

The branch, located in WHSmith in St George’s Street, has come under fire due to “beyond acceptable” waiting times.

Post Office bosses have apologised for the inconvenience caused and blame the delays on staff shortages.

But frustrated customers say the problems underline why there should be a standalone branch within the city walls.

Suzi Graham-Beer, a Canterbury resident of 15 years, visited the WHSmith site two weeks ago to return a parcel for her disabled daughter.

But this simple task ended up taking 45 minutes.

“The WHSmith Post Office in Canterbury is now a joke and it's known that there's not much point in going there unless you're absolutely desperate,” said Ms Graham-Beer.

“When I went in, I found that there was such a long queue stretching right from the Post Office halfway along to the shop.

“We've got a lot of people who are working who can only get to Post Offices during the lunch hour but it was closed for the lunch hour because of a staff shortage.

“For those people, there’s no service in the city centre at all – and for those who can get there before it’s a long queue and no guarantee of getting the service you need.

“When I went, there were no digital services available which would have cut down the waiting times massively.

“They've set up all these self-service counters but you can’t use any of them - the whole thing was just a sham.”

The branch in WHSmith has three digital kiosks - which are said to work intermittently - as well as three manned tills and a financial services booth.

Services offered at the site include passport and driving licence applications, mail and parcel delivery and banking, including foreign currency exchanges.

The previous dedicated branch which was located in the high street closed in 2008 and is now home to a Sainsbury’s Local.

“We used to have a Post Office in Canterbury, which was very well-used and closed - this just proves the need for one,” said Ms Graham-Beer.

“I do sympathise with the staff because it must be extremely stressful for them.

“People go to school in Canterbury, people work in Canterbury, people go to university in Canterbury, but there's no standalone Post Office in Canterbury.

“The facilities just aren't there anymore. It's beyond a joke and the waits are beyond acceptable – this has been going on for months if not years.”

Demand at the city centre branch may have increased in part due to Sturry’s Post Office closing last year, along with the Longport one when long-serving manager Kirti Patel retired.

Hilary Spon, another Canterbury resident, says the St George’s Street site no longer fit for purpose.

“You go to Sittingbourne or Faversham and it’s not too bad, but in the city it doesn’t seem to work as it should,” she said.

“You get talking to people in queues and it feels like everyone is getting fed up with waiting an hour.

“I wind up giving up and going the next day if possible a lot of the time – it’s not good.”

Councillor Pip Hazelton agrees with those who argue the city centre should have a dedicated service.

The Labour representative for Westgate said: “The fact it is upstairs in WHSmith and there is often a really long wait, I do find it quite frustrating and I really feel for the staff.

“People do tend to get a bit impatient and I do agree it’s a shame we haven’t got a dedicated Post Office.”

A Post Office spokesperson said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Canterbury Post Office operated by WHSmith has recently been short-staffed.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused customers.

“This has been resolved and the branch team are continuing to keep the levels of service under review.”

The site is also looking to recruit staff whilst other branches in the city include St Martins Hill, Zealand Road and Barton Road.