Eggs and honey sales banned at post office

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COUNCIL bosses have shocked Writtle postmistress Maria Rollason by banning her from selling eggs, honey and jam to customers.

Ms Rollason has owned the Writtle Post Office for 20 years and always sold the items to top up her income.

But after moving premises, Essex County Council has told her that it's no longer "appropriate" for her business to sell her eggs and jams from behind the counter – despite her pleas.

The ban comes after the Essex County Council spent £10,000 converting the library on The Green into a double-purpose self-service library and village post office.

"I'm very angry about it," the postmistress said. "I've been selling eggs, jams and honey for a long time.

"They don't make me much money but they're part of the reason people come into the shop.

"There won't be many more reasons for anyone to come in here anymore."

According to Ms Rollason, the council told her solicitor that they did not think it was "appropriate" for the post office to continue to sell the products after it moved in to the library.

On moving to the library she had to give up selling "consumables" such as ice creams but continued to sell eggs, honey and jam from behind the counter.

But she was told that she was breaching the terms of her temporary lease.

So when it was time to sign a permanent one she applied to the council for special dispensation to sell the three items. Her request was rejected.

"They have got their library hats on," said Ms Rollason. "But this is a village post office. Without us there would be no library – I can't think of any rhyme or reason why this decision has been taken.

Essex County Councillor John Aldridge, who helped Ms Rollason secure the move to the library, said he sympathised but stressed if the terms of the lease said no food then there was not much that could be done.

He said: "We're really happy to have the post office there, but if it was not part of the deal, it was not part of the deal. A few eggs are not worth falling out over."