Village post office set to reopen after blaze

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A village post office destroyed in a fire will be back in business at the end of the month.

The Orwell branch will reopen, offering all the same services, on Tuesday, August 28.

Two teenagers set fire to a wheelie bin last year which in turn set fire to the post office in Town Green Road, causing £500,000 damage.

The pair were cleared of recklessly destroying or damaging the post office itself, but admitted using toilet roll to set fire to a large commercial bin outside the store.

Villagers have been without their local service for nearly 18 months because of the blaze, which happened on the night of Saturday, March 5.

Steve Sparkes, vice-chairman of Orwell Parish Council, said: “The post office, along with the pub, are at the heart of the village and we are very much looking forward to having it back up and running.”

Wendy Hamilton, a spokeswoman for Post Office Ltd, said: “We are pleased that we are able to restore services to the area and would like to thank our customers for their patience during this period of temporary closure.

“I would also like to thank staff at nearby branches for taking on the additional workload during this time.

“Customers will find the facilities at this branch are the same as before the temporary closure.”