South Shields sub-postmistress says there '˜no truth' in closure rumours

Lynne Eagleton, who runs the post office in her convenience store in Carden Avenue, South Shields, says there are no plans for its closure.

She says rumours that it is to close have been circulating since the opening of a new post office at The Nook further down the road.

Miss Eagleton said: “I can categorically confirm we are not closing our post office.

“We have always been here and will continue to be here for the foreseeable future.

“We have been approached by a few of our customers who have asked about the rumours, but they are just that: rumours, with no truth in them at all.”

Last year Miss Eagleton, who runs the store alongside her sister Joanne, announced new opening times for the office, which has been based in the store for the past seven years.

Since November, the office has been open Monday to Saturday, from 8am until 8pm.

The move was in response to customer feedback asking for more accessible opening hours.

Speaking at the launch of the new times, Miss Eagleton said she hope they would make it easier for people, in particular those who work, to post their parcels or pay bills.

She said: “The extended opening times had proved a success with customers.”

The latest post office to open in the area is at The Nook and is run by Pritam Singh, who underwent a rigorous assessment and training process to enable him to run the service.