A VILLAGE post office has been saved at the last minute from closure after three years under threat.
The branch in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, which has been serving villagers for more than 70 years, was set to close its doors for the last time on April 27.
But this week parish councillors have formalised plans to rescue the vital service by relocating it into the village hall.
"It's so important that we're going to be staying open, I have about 200 customers come through the doors each week," said postmistress Diane Cook, who has managed the service for nearly a decade.
"I first heard the plans to sell up around three years ago but I wasn't allowed to mention it to anyone all this time.
"All we've ever wanted was to keep the service in the village – people use it to collect their pensions, pay their bills and top up their phone, it's a really important facility."
After the owner of the premises on North Street announced his plans to sell the building in 2011, there had been hopes the service would be absorbed into the nearby village shop.
However this proposal fell through and a notice to close the post office by April 27 was pinned up – until a last-minute alternative was suggested.
"It has now been agreed that we will move the service into the village hall and the landlord has given us a stay of execution until that can be formally arranged," said parish councillor Gerald Munson.
"We really can't afford to lose it as we are a remote village and a long way from other post offices – the service is very well used here.
"It's just such a relief to find a solution to the problem."
However the new service will be cut back to just three sessions of three hours each in the hall on Tollesbury Road.
And long-serving postmistress Diane, 66, will be retiring when the current premises close down.
"Staff from another post office branch will run the reduced service so it seems like the right time to retire," said Diane, who lives just across the road from her workplace.
"I shall be using the service myself so I can check up on how they're doing.
"And the good thing is the village hall is publicly owned, so it won't be under threat again."
