RESIDENTS are celebrating after an announcement that a post office will reopen in their village.

Pensioners felt they were in limbo following the resignation of Long Newton's sub-postmaster which coincided with the loss of the village bus service, 18 months ago.

The committee running the village meeting rooms - the Wilson Institute - was faced with a battle to save its 19th Century building which needs repairs.

The committee circulated a questionnaire to ask villagers and residents of neighbouring Elton, near Stockton, for their views on the future of the institute.

Committee vice-chairman John Rosser said: "We first of all asked people whether they wanted to retain it and then it was a question of what they saw it being used for,'' said Mr Rosser, a member of Long Newton Parish Council. "The dominant theme was for a post office.''

An approach was made to post office bosses and from June 14, part of the Wilson Institute will be run as sub post office, three mornings a week, with village housewife Julie Plumb trained to run it.

Mr Rosser said: "We have a significant population of elderly people who use the post office to draw pensions and benefits.

"The nearest post office was at Stockton and added to the problem was the loss of the bus service."