A man who has run a record shop for 42 years intends to fight the Royal Mail plans that could shut it down.

Geoff Langley, 79, has been in the premises owned by the postal service on Walton Road, West Molesey, since 1972.

Royal Mail submitted a planning application on February 13 to build a customer service point and toilets where Langley Records currently stands.

Mr Langley said running the shop "is keeping me alive".

The West Molesey man got into record selling after being in the army for two years, starting his first business at a different site in 1962.

When asked what he would do if he was forced to leave the shop he said: "It wouldn't be like that. I won't allow that at all."

He said after a new contract was offered with 300 new clauses: "I wrote to the Queen, had three members of Parliament involved."

A petition has been set up to call upon Elmbridge Council to reject the planning application. More than 500 people have signed it so far.

Royal Mail spokesman Sally Hopkins said: "It is our intention to use this extra space to create a modern customer service point for our customers in both Esher and Molesey who visit us to collect any items of mail that we were not able to deliver to them, or leave with a neighbour, because they were out."

The council is currently consulting on the application. Comments can be made on the Elmbridge Council website until Friday, April 3.