ALLOA’S Post Office will temporarily re-open in what used to be the Little Greens premises later this week.

The branch will resume services on October 25, following its closure several weeks ago.

Eros Retail ran the Little Greens shop which also housed the Post Office on Mill Road, but opted to close the branch due to rising costs back in August.

That led to the loss of Alloa’s Post Office branch as well, which caused problems for some locals.

As the Advertiser previously reported, Alloa Community Council (ACC) raised concerns about some elderly residents having to fork out almost £10 on taxi journeys to pick up their pension money elsewhere.

Issues such as this had been raised with Post Office Ltd by the Wee County’s elected reps, and now the organisation has announced the interim solution until an alternative venue is found.

A Post Office spokesperson told the Advertiser: “We understand how important Post Office services are to our customers in Alloa, we are confident this temporary service will meet their needs while we continue to seek for a more permanent solution for the area.”

This was welcomed by Keith Brown MSP, who stressed just how much of an impact the recent loss of the service had had on locals.

He said: “It was completely unacceptable that local residents and businesses had to travel to neighbouring towns to access crucial postal and banking services and I am glad that Post Office Ltd have recognised the important role the Post Office has in local communities.

“I look forward to meeting with the Postmaster and discussing a permanent and long-term solution for Alloa Post Office.”

Luke Graham MP also welcomed the news and said: “It’s great that the Post Office will be returning to Alloa, and my office has been working on this since its closure earlier this year.

“This solution is not meant to last forever, and so it’s important we keep working on this.

“My team and I will continue working with local retailers and the post office to secure a permanent solution.”

The Advertiser understands that the Mists of Time shop in Alloa’s Shillinghill area have already launched a bid to host the Post Office on a permanent basis.

A spokesperson for the shop said: “We have put in an application form and are just waiting to hear back [from the Post Office], but it could take a few months.”