Lepton post office closed in early December - and efforts are still under way to get it reopened
Efforts are continuing to reopen a post office that closed before Christmas.
The post office at Highgate Lane in Lepton shut unexpectedly in early December when the postmaster resigned.
Residents arriving at the premises were surprised to see a sign on the door saying that “due to unforeseen circumstances this branch is closed until further notice.”
It advised people to use the post office branches at Kirkburton, Almondbury or Kirkheaton. People calling to collect mail were advised to contact or visit Kirkburton Post Office, the Royal Mail sorting office in Huddersfield or the Parcelforce depot at Rotherham.
It also included a helpline number 03457 223344.
Since then the post office has remained shut.
One resident said people had heard nothing since the suddent closure, adding: “Many people both young and old are unable to travel to the alternatives that are listed. Talk around the village is that the so-called temporary closure is to become permanent.”
A spokesperson for the Post Office stressed the closure was not permanent, adding: “We understand how important Post Office services are to a community and would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of Lepton Post Office.
“Unfortunately, from time to time, Post Office branches do temporarily close for reasons beyond our control.
“The majority of our branches are run by independent retailers meaning we are not the owners of the premises and regrettably, we are often unable to immediately reopen the branch ourselves.
“We always want to maintain Post Office services and would like to reassure our customers that we are doing all we can to restore services as soon as possible.”