Villagers in west Suffolk are celebrating the return of their post office – almost a year since since they lost the service.

%image(15270002, type="article-full", alt="Richard Kemp said it is "good news" for Glemsford Picture: ANDREW PARTRIDGE")

Glemsford Post Office will reopen at a new location in the village from August following its closure to the dismay of residents last summer.

The post office will now be housed at Premier Hunts Hill Stores and will be open seven-days-a-week from 6am to 9pm, offering 105 service hours per week.

The previous branch at 8-10 Fair Green has been closed since July 2018, and there was some concern among villagers that the service may not be reinstated.

Richard Kemp, county councillor for Glemsford, said it was "good news" for the village.

"The people in Glemsford will be happy to have it back," he said.

"With a population of almost 4,000, you can no longer call Glemsford a sleepy village anymore.

"The community were starting to worry that the post office had disappeared altogether.

"But I must give credit to the Post Office, they have been in regular touch and did say it would return in a different location, which of course it has."

The nearest post office for villagers since the closure has been Long Melford, and Mr Kemp added that the service is vitally important for Glemsford.

"A fair amount of people in the village are elderly or have mobility issues and it isn't always easy for them to get somewhere else.

"All in all, it's good news for Glemsford."

Services will be offered at Premier from a modern serving point alongside the retail counter.

The new-look branch is planned to open at the new premises on Wednesday, August 28 at 1pm.

The Post Office is now inviting customers and interested parties to give their comments on the move in a public consultation and is looking for feedback about accessibility, local community issues and anything which can make life easier for customers.

Submissions can be made via email to comments@postoffice.co.uk, by post to Freepost Your Comments, or by telephone 03452 660115 or Textphone 03457 223355.

Customers can share their views during the consultation online at postofficeviews.co.uk with the branch code 141130.

Public consultation on Glemsford Post Office will close on July 19.