A VILLAGE post office is set to be upgraded as part of a nationwide modernisation programme.

The facelift for the branch in Ernest Street, Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, will be unveiled to customers at 1pm on Monday, September 22.

From then services will be provided from four counters, including one new-style, open-plan position, two secure fortress positions and a combi-counter, where the Post Office terminal will sit alongside the till.

It will offer most Post Office services throughout the extended shop opening hours.

Customers will be able to access the full range of Post Office and mails services, including international parcels, Special Delivery, Local Collect and home shopping returns.

Customers of the majority of UK banks will be able to use the post office for online banking cash deposits and withdrawals and bill payments.

The Post Office service will be available from, 6.30am to 9pm seven days a week.

Pelton Post Office will close for almost a month at 5.30pm on Tuesday, August 26, while the refurbishment is done

During the closure Post Office services will be available at nearby branches including: Ouston Post Office, at Ouston Service Station, Ouston Lane, Ouston: Chester-le-Street Post Office, 137 Front Street, Chester-le-Street; West Pelton Post Office, St Paul’s Terrace, West Pelton,.

Post Office area manager Anne Clark said: “We know how important Post Office services are to residents in Chester-le-Street and we are confident that this vibrant modern Post Office at the heart of the community will be popular.

She added: “The modernisation is part of a major Government investment programme that is enabling us to continue investing in the Post Office network and to map out a bold growth strategy through to the end of the decade.”