A VILLAGE Post Office is to re-open 16 months after it closed due to public demand.

The new branch will open in the Mickle Grove Common Room, Mickle Grove, Coundon, in early June.

The service will be provided by the sub-postmistress from Bishop Auckland Post Office on Tuesdays and Fridays, between 10am and 2pm.

County Councillor Charlie Kay, who fought to get the service re-instated, said: “It will make a huge difference to the people of Coundon. People won’t feel so isolated.

“It has been the single most important topic for the last 16 months.”

He added that work is underway to make it into a social hub where people can come for a range of services, including housing and benefits advice.