A POST Office in Tonge Fold will open a new branch next month and more than double its opening hours.

The current branch, at 339 Bury Road, will close on Tuesday, April 8, and re-open 50 metres from its current site on Wednesday, April 9.

The new branch, at the Pound Plus site at 20 Tonge Old Road, will be open 87 hours a week.

This is more than double the hours of the current branch, which is open 41 and a half hours a week.

The move is part of a major modernisation programme across the Post Office network designed to make it easier for customers to do business.

Cllr Nick Peel, who represents Tonge with The Haulgh, has been in regular consultation with the Post Office over the plans.

He said: “I wholeheartedly support the plans. The Post Office is the hub of the community and it is needed by a lot of people in the area.

“It is great to see some positive news about the Post Office, which is demonstrating its commitment to its customers by extending its opening hours.”

Adrian Wales, Post Office Regional Network Manager for Central England, added: “We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Tonge Fold and we are confident that this new modern Post Office service will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future.

“This modernisation is part of a major investment programme, the largest in the history of the Post Office and marks a commitment to no more branch closure programmes.”

The opening hours for the Tonge Old Road branch will be 6.30am until 8pm from Monday to Saturday and 10am until 4pm on Sundays.

The current opening hours for the Bury Road branch are 9am until 5.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am until 1pm on Wednesday and 9am until 12.30pm on Saturday.

In November last year, the Government announced a £640m investment in the Post Office network, from 2015 to 2018.