The supermarket giant this week announced record profits of �1.6bn

Residents want to save post offices in two Oxfordshire shops, when they are converted into Tesco Express stores.

But the supermarket giant, which this week announced record profits, has told a West Oxfordshire councillor it needs the extra space to display its goods.

Cllr Louise Chapman said: "It is ironic that their slogan is every little helps. Helps who is my question?"

Unfortunately for the elderly and disabled, Tesco's vast profitmaking is at their expense Louise Chapman, councillor

She explained: "I received this letter the very day Tesco announced record profits.

"Tesco told us that they need every bit of floorspace to sell their goods.

"Unfortunately, for the elderly and disabled who use the post offices in Cogges or Fettiplace Road, Tesco's vast profitmaking is at their expense."

Supermarket bosses have refused to bow to a public petition to save the post offices at Cogges Hill and Fettiplace Road in Witney.

They will run a free bus from the Fettiplace Road store to another nearby post office from May until August.

'Wider range'

In a letter to Ms Chapman, Tesco's Andrew Slight said: "In every case where a store is identified for conversion we review carefully whether it is possible to retain the post office.

"In a minority of cases, however, there is not the space available to accommodate both the post office and the wider range of goods that Express offers."

Tesco has caused anger with threatened post office closures across the country as part of its take-over of the T&S One Stop chain.

The supermarket recently bought 900 T&S One Stop stores, more than 300 of which have post office counters.

Over the next three years bosses plan to close 40 of those sub-post offices when they convert half of the newly-acquired stores into Tesco Express.

Elderly villagers

In the Wiltshire village of Shaw, elderly people must now travel more than a mile to collect their pensions after Tesco closed down the post office at the local One Stop.

But the supermarket last month backed down over the closure of the counter at the One Stop in Longlevens, Gloucester.

Their decision came after a campaign by residents, local churches and Labour MP Parmjit Dhanda, who announced Tesco's change of heart in Parliament.

On Tuesday Tesco announced its annual profits had soared to a record �1.6bn.

The supermarket chain is the biggest in the country and takes 27% of all money spent at supermarket tills.