A VILLAGE near Darlington is to buck the national trend by having its post office restored.

Scores of post offices have closed in the past year, including five in Darlington.

The branch at Piercebridge was closed in August 2007, but farmer Chris Hodgson has now been appointed sub-postmaster.

He will operate a post office counter at The Farm Shop, which he runs beside the green in the centre of the village.

Ian Carlton, field change adviser at Post Office Ltd, said: “We apologise for the inconvenience this temporary closure has caused, but I’m sure that residents of Piercebridge will be delighted to learn it will soon be business as usual again at their local post office.”

The new branch is just 70yds from the original one, and will provide the same services, including banking, benefit payments and currency exchange.

The loss of services at Piercebridge was compounded last July when the post office a few miles away at Heighington also closed.

Coun Gerald Lee, who serves the area, said: “The closure of any post office is very, very difficult for rural areas. This is very good news.

“Piercebridge has a lot of elderly people. They have to access post office services from outside the village at the moment. That often entails a lot of difficulty and frustration, especially if they have to use public transport and have trouble getting around.

“It is great that the post office will open on the green because that is very central. It is a nice surprise, at a time when post offices are closing so often.

“People have to go to Darlington or Barnard Castle at the moment to visit the post office. That is too far. It is good the hear these services will be replaced.”