A landlady has stepped in to help villagers who have been without a permanent post office for almost a year by opening one in her pub.

The Anchor, on the High Street, Little Paxton, will offer a wide range of products and services as well as longer opening hours when it opens for business at 1pm on Friday (November 8)

Transactions will take place at a quiet area at the right-hand side of the bar, with services including postage, banking, and topping up of electricity cards.

Although customers will be able to visit the post office from Friday, it will be officially opened when Huntingdon MP Jonathan Djanogly cuts the ribbon on November 15.

The post office replaces a mobile service in the village hall car park, which villagers have had to rely on since the St James Road branch closed last December.

The landlady, Sue Merritt, said: “We have always had a post office. The closure affects an awful lot of people, especially older people who then have to travel into town for any financial dealings. The bus services have also been cut in the village and getting in and out of town is becoming harder and harder.

“I’m excited and a little bit apprehensive about it as it’s a completely new venture for me.”

The planning process took around six months and she also attended a three-day training exercise to prepare her for her new role as a subpostmistress.

Julia Marwood, post office regional network manager south, said: “We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Little Paxton and we are confident that this new modern Post Office service will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future.

“The modernisation is part of a major investment programme to convert the Post Office network to new-style branches. This investment, the largest in the history of the Post Office, makes a commitment to no more branch closure programmes.”

INFORMATION: The new opening hours will be Monday to Saturday 9am-11pm and Sunday 12pm–10.30pm.