THE Post Office is closing one branch and moving into a nearby newsagent with longer opening hours.

The present Tindale Crescent Post Office at 26-27 Tindale Crescent, near Bishop Auckland, will close at 5.30pm on Monday, April 20.

A new ‘local’ service will then open 100 yards around the corner at Tindale News, on 5 Greenfields Road, at 1pm the following day.

The Post Office service, ran from a terminal alongside the retail till, will be available during the store’s opening hours of Monday to Saturday, 5am to 9pm, and Sundays, 6am to 8pm.

The new opening times mean an increase of 64 hours a week.

Services will include mail, home shopping returns and some banking and customers will be able to pay bills, pre-order foreign money, apply for travel insurance and top up mobile phones.

The Post Office has said it will work closely with the new operator to improve the internal layout of the shop and access.

Some fixtures and fittings will be realigned or removed, aisles will be kept free from obstructions and adequate room provided for queuing and wheelchair users.

Anyone requiring services during the brief closure, on the morning of Tuesday, April 21, is advised to use Bishop Auckland Post Office, on Victoria Avenue.

Suzanna Richardson, Regional Manager said: “We are confident that this vibrant new-style Post Office at the heart of the local community will meet customer needs.”