RESIDENTS in Chineham have received an early Christmas present after their local post office was given a makeover and had its opening hours extended.

Chineham Post Office, in Chineham Centre, has undergone a major refurbishment and the opening hours have been extended by more than 21 hours each week.

The revamped Post Office was officially opened by Basingstoke MP Maria Miller last Friday.

Mrs Miller said: “I am delighted to be opening this refurbished Post Office today.

“Not only does the shop look great but the extra opening hours make it far more convenient for constituents to visit to make their transactions.

“This will prove extremely useful at this hectic time of the year, and throughout the year.”

The new-look facility now has two screened counter positions and a Post Office serving point which can be used at the retail counter, meaning that customers will be able to use post office facilities during shop opening hours.

From Monday to Saturday, Post Office services will be available from 8am to 6pm and on Sunday, customers will be able to access the services from 10am to 4pm.

The extra hours include Saturday afternoon and Sunday, with the branch also opening an hour earlier each day.

Will Russell, Post Office regional network manager for the south, said: “We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Chineham, and we are confident that this new modern service will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future.

“The modernisation is part of a major investment programme to convert the Post Office network to new-style branches.”

He added: “This investment, the largest in the history of the Post Office, makes a commitment to no more branch closure programmes.”