After months of having to travel miles to get their pension people in a mid-Norfolk village have welcomed the return of their post office.

After months of having to travel miles to get their pension people in a mid-Norfolk village have welcomed the return of their post office.

The two-day-a-week outreach service was launched in Ashill yesterday following the closure of the village's full time post office earlier this year.

The new service means people no longer have to take a trip into nearby Watton to take advantage of post office facilities.

The facility will now operate from the Call-in every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to midday.

It is run by Watton Postmistress Jacqueline Welsh who said that despite a few teething problems she was pleased to see it established in the village.

'It is good to do this for a community that really wants it,' she said.

'Because of the closure of Post Offices across the country the organisation will no longer open new ones but it is happy for existing post masters to travel to villages and serve the residents.'

'After all, not everyone can travel and it is good to have meeting point for people.'

Mrs Welsh, who was brought in her grandparents post office in Essex said she was happy to run the service in Ashill because she realised how important it was to the community.

The village has been without a post office since the permanent branch at The Green closed in February

After an outcry from locals and a public consultation by Post Office Ltd the company announced it would be setting up an outreach service in June.

The new venture uses portable computers, scales, and chip and pin devices which are all brought to the village by the postmistress.

It allows villages to buy stamps, cash cheques, tax their car, or purchase foreign currency.

Local resident Carole Thompson said out-reach would help keep the village alive.

'It gives people a reason to go and chat to one another,' she said.

Her friend Maureen Boyd agreed.

She said: 'The pub in the village has recently shut so I hope the service will stay open and be a success.'