Brampton’s Post Office will remain open and in the same hands despite months of ­uncertainty, its subpostmaster has told The Hunts Post.

Dave Shaw, who has run the business for the last nine years, said he had a verbal agreement with the Post Office that he will continue to run the High Street branch.

As part of the national chain’s modernisation programme Mr Shaw was asked to turn his ­business into a main post office or a local post office, but neither, he said, were financially viable.

A local post office, the type you find in a convenience store, would not offer enough services for the 36-year-old to earn a living, and a main post office would ­significantly increase his overheads.

Mr Shaw took a third option and handed in his resignation at the beginning of the year.

He hoped that if the Post Office could not find a suitable ­alternative, he would be able to continue to run the branch, which his parents ran for 20 years before him.

Despite interest in May when a potential bid fell through, the Post Office has not found a franchisee to take over, so has told Mr Shaw he can carry on serving Brampton.

He told The Hunts Post: “I am very pleased. I never wanted to go and I made that quite clear to the Post Office and my customers from the very beginning.

“I’ve not had it in writing just yet but they have made a verbal agreement. I’m now writing to them to request it in writing.

“It started in November last year so it has been going on a long time.

“This is a big weight off my shoulders as the last eight months haven’t been particularly good for my mental health.

“It means that I can go back to running a business as obviously it is very hard to run it with the axe looming over my head.

“I had lots of support from my customers which has obviously helped me through the process and I thank them for that.”

A Post Office spokesman said: “The postmaster at Brampton Post Office has previously expressed an interest in leaving the network, however, we have been in discussions with him and are confident that the branch will continue to operate as is.

“Customers can rest assured that the Post Office is committed to maintaining a service in Brampton and will work hard to ensure this in any eventuality. If the current postmaster were to tender resignation, we would look at all feasible options. If safeguarding services in the area were to require a relocation of the branch, that would be subject to a public consultation.”