A POSTMASTER has urged people not to boycott post offices after a television drama triggered a backlash.

Jon Bumphrey, from Evesham Post Office, said several people have been wanting to boycott post offices after watching Mr Bates vs The Post Office on ITV.

He has stressed most post offices are independently run and very few are run under the main office.

"A lot of people have said they will never use a Post Office again, but the only people they will be hurting is the postmasters," he said.

"If you wish to show solidarity, then come in and support and keep using us.

"We are independent people, employing local residents.

"All the responsibilities are on us postmasters, so if people boycott us, they are hurting only the village, not the Post Office. 

"We serve not just Evesham but also 23 other local communities and this is a lifeline for them."

The television drama outlined the Horizon scandal when more than 700 postmasters were falsely held accountable for theft, fraud and misrepresentation as Post Office Limited refuted any acknowledgement of blame for the computer system's faults.

Mr Bumphrey has been the postmaster of the Evesham Post Office for ten years and is the fourth generation in his family to take over the store on the High Street.

"We have had such a strong feeling from members of the public and people I have never seen before have been coming in to have a chat.

"They have found the series really evoking and a lot of people have admitted that it brought them to tears, not just because of the impact on the postmasters but families.

"I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, and ITV  did a brilliant job.

"They have done well in telling the stories of the lives of the postmasters and immediate families involved, and I think that is why people can relate to it."