A DROITWICH post office will re-open on Monday (October 20) after a long-standing campaign to save it from permanent closure.

Witton Post Office in Worcester Road closed suddenly and without explanation in April, 2013, and residents feared it could be lost forever.

A planning application to turn the building into a veterinary business was however rejected following strong opposition to the proposals from Droitwich Town Council and a new postmaster eventually came forward to save the service.

Raj Patel, a local businessman who manages champagnepeople.com, an internet company which supplies personalised champagne bottles, has taken on the mantle of running the post office.

He said: “I accepted the challenge after hearing of residents’ fears that it might never re-open.

“I am delighted that we have been successful and I thank the town council for its support.’

Three town and district councillors – Mayor of Droitwich Councillor Bob Brookes, former mayor Councillor Tom Noyes and Councillor Graham Beale – are also celebrating the imminent re-opening.

The trio campaigned to save the site and, alongside their town council colleagues, were successful in opposing the veterinary practice planning application despite it being recommended for approval by the district council planning committee.

Cllr Bob Brookes said: “The reopening of this post office is proof of the effectiveness of the town council in defending local services.

“If it wasn’t for the intervention of local councillors, the post office would not have re-opened. Local democracy has been seen to work.”