A POST Office outreach service which was put in place after branches in North Suffolk were shut is set to close next week.The outreach service in Wangford started operating after the post offices in Wangford and Wrentham were closed early last year as part of a programme to shut 2,500 branches nationwide.

A POST Office outreach service which was put in place after branches in North Suffolk were shut is set to close next week.

The outreach service in Wangford started operating after the post offices in Wangford and Wrentham were closed early last year as part of a programme to shut 2,500 branches nationwide.

Now villagers have been told that their outreach post service will close temporarily on Tuesday because the subpostmaster has resigned and there is no one in place to take over.

Kathryn Savage, clerk at Wangford Parish Council, said: 'It's a big problem. It's such a shame that the other branches have been shut down.

'We've been told that they've got to find another sub post office which is willing to staff the outreach service; we don't know when that will be.'

She added: 'The nearest alternative post offices are in Southwold or Halesworth, and at Southwold you cannot really park anywhere near the post office.'

A Post Office spokesman said: 'We understand that the people of Wangford will be concerned about the future of post office services in their area.

'Looking after a nationwide network of post office branches, we have a responsibility to make sure every branch makes the best possible use of resources while ensuring that customers can still access our products and services.

'Customers can be assured that we will continue to work to find a solution that will provide a post office presence in the area. We apologise for the inconvenience this temporary closure has caused to customers.'

In December last year, residents from Wangford and surrounding villages sent letters of complaint to the Post Office after finding that the outreach service was not always available at the advertised times because there were no additional staff to cover sickness and holidays.