ROYAL Mail bosses are reviewing procedures after they were blasted for moving staff out of a swamped post office even as queues spilled out the door. The company confirmed that one staff member had been transferred from the Kilburn Post Office, in Bronde

ROYAL Mail bosses are reviewing procedures after they were blasted for moving staff out of a swamped post office even as queues spilled out the door.

The company confirmed that one staff member had been transferred from the Kilburn Post Office, in Brondesbury Villas, to Church Road Post Office, in Barnes, even as customers waited for half an hour or more.

Residents blasted the move, which happened on March 16 for an unspecified period of time.

Phil Oman, who lives in the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate, said: "Any time I've been in there it has been extremely busy. It's ridiculous. If they're busy they shouldn't move people out. I've never gone in there without having to queue. There have been so many cut backs on post offices. To create a staff shortage situation when you have a really busy post office is totally against public opinion."

Cllr Russell Eagling, whose Fortune Green ward includes part of the Kilburn High Road, said he had helped comfort an elderly woman who had become disoriented after waiting for so long.

On March 16, he wrote to the Royal Mail: 'Your queues are far too long. The fact that an elderly lady in front of me today became disorientated and had to rest after having been stood up for so long was appalling for her and distressing to everyone around her.

'I have serious concerns about the Kilburn Post Office's ability to deliver statutory services on behalf of a variety of government departments.'

A Royal Mail spokeswoman apologised that the staff member had been moved and said they were reviewing procedures to make sure it did not happen again.

She said: "From time to time we reallocate staff from one branch to another if there are people on leave or off sick. It is to maintain services to customers at all our branches.

"At the Kilburn branch, there were some staff members off sick, on leave and on training and we had to make some arrangements to cover for those people. However, things changed at last minute due to circumstances outside our control."

ben.greening@archant.co.uk