RESIDENTS in Whitney-on-Wye are celebrating the return of their post office after a gap of 10 years.

The new post office, which replaces a one-hour-a-week mobile service, opened on Monday (January 14) inside the Carrot & Wine store next to the A438.

The store is part of a small organic shopping chain run by Pembrokeshire businessman Mark Burch.

Apart from the weekly mobile post office, which has served the Herefordshire village for the last 10 years, the nearest post office was more than four miles away in Eardisley.

While the van offered the same services as as a full-time post office, it was only briefly in the village on Wednesdays.

The new service, run by the shop’s staff, is open every day from 9am until 5.30pm, except for Sundays when it is open from 10am until 5pm, meaning it is open for 58 hours a week.

The Post Office’s area network change manager Neil Jenkins said: “We’ve had only good feedback during the public consultations.

“I hope it’ll cement this building even more as a community hub.

“We are delighted to have restored a full-time post office service to this area.”

The store also hosts a public library and gallery as well as small community groups.

Gail Copsey, who works at the store, said: “I think more people will come in with the post office here and they can now come in here at their leisure because of the opening hours.

“It was quite regimented before so hopefully the post office in itself will bring people in.”