Framlingham Post Office, hit by Storm Babet, restores services at temporary location in Bridge Street

A town’s post office which was hit by major flooding has restored its services at a new temporary location.

The Framlingham Post Office, which was forced to shut after Storm Babet caused the river Ore to burst its banks, has now moved into a temporary location at 27 Bridge Street.

The site is home to a well-established independent retailer Bulstrodes and The Framlingham Toy Shop.

Workers at the post office had hoped to restore services at the riverside premises, where the water rose to 2ft.

However, this was not possible as insurance assessors had discovered that it was black flood water – the most contaminated type – meaning that the clean-up will take much longer than expected.

After plans for a quick re-opening were dashed – now more likely to take place in spring – the temporary solution was set up in a fortnight.

Wendy Hamilton, post office network provision lead, said: “We know how important a post office is to a community.

“We worked with postmaster Roger Tripp and the Framlingham community to rapidly find the best location for a temporary post office.

“This has allowed us to restore vital post office services in Framlingham, whilst all the repairs and clean up take place at the Riverside shop.

The community really rallied round. A big thank you to Bulstrodes department store for providing space.”

The temporary post office in Bridge Street offers two counters with majority of everyday services available, including mails, bill payments, home shopping returns and banking.

Cash withdrawals, deposits and cheques can also be made.

For some other services, customers may need to visit Wickham Market.

The opening hours are Monday to Friday: 8.30am – 5.15pm; Saturday: 8.15am – 12noon.

The Framlingham Post Office will return to its original site after major repairs.