A POST office could be saved after an offer was made to take over the branch. Satnam Boora, who runs the post office in Town Green Road, Orwell, has said he will operate the Arrington office – which is based in the Hardwicke Arms hotel– as a sub-post off

A POST office could be saved after an offer was made to take over the branch.

Satnam Boora, who runs the post office in Town Green Road, Orwell, has said he will operate the Arrington office - which is based in the Hardwicke Arms hotel- as a sub-post office.

He is waiting to see whether his proposal will get the approval of the Post Office.

Mr Boora was unavailable for comment, but The Crow understands that he plans to maintain the current opening hours, which are 12noon-2pm on Tuesday and Thursday.

The future of the Arrington branch was thrown into doubt last week when the Post Office released a consultation document proposing that it and 16 other branches in the region be closed and replaced by "outreach services", such as a mobile post office visiting the village once-a-week.

Edie Izzard, 86, has run the post office in Arrington for the last 37 years.

It was originally based in a building near her home, in Clifden Close, before moving to the Hardwicke Arms in 2003.

She said: "We had to fight hard to keep the post office when it moved to the Hardwicke Arms, so it would be a shame to see it go now.

"We're not a busy office usually, but since the announcement last week I've had people come in to ask what's going on."

Mrs Izzard believes that it is important for the village to maintain its post office, as a lot of her customers are elderly and do not have their own transport.

"I have to take a few of them their pension money because they can't get out," she said.

Cllr Sebastian Kindersley, who represents Arrington on the district council, said: "This scheme to close post offices is the latest in a long line of Government initiatives which badly affect local services.

"There is a large elderly community in Arrington, and many of them would not be able to access a post office in another village.

"Even though the offices in Orwell or Hatley are only one or two miles away, they might as well be on the other side of the moon if people can't get there.