ROMSEY’S Great Woodley Post Office will reopen – but exactly when is unclear.

Post Office chiefs say the branch at Warren Gardens which closed suddenly last August following a routine audit of the business and the suspension of the sub-postmaster David Nicholas, will definitely reopen but they are unable to give a precise date.

Officials are remaining tight-lipped over the reasons why the decision was taken to suspend services.

A spokesman said: “The sub-postmaster has been precautionarily suspended pending further inquiries.

“We have a duty of care to the sub-postmaster and our business to investigate this matter both correctly and thoroughly.

“This is a temporary closure and we are looking to restore services to the area as soon as possible.

“We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by this temporary lapse in service and hope our customers will continue to access post office services at nearby branches in the area.”

Meanwhile, campaigners have stepped up their fight to restore post office services in the Woodley area and one shop-owner said he is prepared to take on the franchise if the current sub-postmaster does not want to continue.

Siddharth Patel, who runs T & M Stores at nearby Viney Avenue, said: “I’d love to start a Post Office at Viney Avenue. There is a big call for one here. People are missing the Great Woodley Post Office. I went to Romsey Post Office and queued for 35 minutes just to get to the counter.

“The elderly have to catch a bus into the town and this takes about seven to ten minutues – and then they have to walk from the bus station to the post office. As soon as a post office starts again in the local area it will be a great help to the community.”

Mr Patel said he had already made inquiries to the Post Office about the franchise.