THE Post Office is due to open a new service in east Durham, including Sunday opening times.

The service will be launched at Easington Village News Ltd, Albion House, Low Row, Easington, at 1pm on Tuesday, April 28.

There will be a combination counter in the store, where the Post Office terminal will sit alongside the retail till, a hearing loop and adequate space for customers using a wheelchair at the counter.

The Post Office service will be available during the store’s opening hours, from 6am to 9pm, from Monday to Sunday.

Residents and small business customers will be able to access a wide range of Post Office and mails services, including special delivery, local collect, home shopping returns, online banking cash deposits and withdrawals.

Other services include withdrawals using a Post Office Card Account, sending funds abroad using Moneygram, and customers can also pay bills, pre-order travel money, apply for travel insurance and top up mobile phones.

The present Easington Post Office at Seaside Lane, Easington, Peterlee, will close at 5.30pm on Monday, April 27 before services transfer to the new branch.

During the short period of closure Post Office services can be accessed from any Post Office branch, including Peterlee Post Office, 61-61a Yoden Way, Castledene Shopping Centre, Peterlee.

Post office regional manager Suzanne Richardson said: “We are confident that this vibrant new-style Post Office at the heart of the local community will meet customer needs.

"This modernisation is part of a major investment programme, the largest in the history of the Post Office and will secure services for the future.

"The investment marks a commitment to our no more branch closure programme.”