A Shrewsbury post office which closed suddenly is to reopen this month, managers have revealed.Customers found the Sentinel Gardens branch in Whitchurch Road shut on Saturday after the sub-postmaster left.

The post office has been named as an alternative to the under-threat Ditherington store which is on a hit-list of branches that Post Office Ltd wants to close to save cash.

Correspondence from Richard Hall, senior external relations manager for Royal Mail, sent to the office of Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski, says Sentinel Post Office will reopen on August 18.

Mr Hall says: “I’m pleased to tell you that we have appointed an interim sub-postmaster to take on the running of the Sentinel Gardens Post Office and the branch will reopen on August 18.”

Mr Kawczynski, who has launched a campaign to save Ditherington Post Office from the axe, said that although he welcomed news of the reopening he still had major concerns about Post Office Ltd’s plans.

He said: “I am obviously pleased that they are telling us it will be reopened but the whole situation is still unsatisfactory because as things stand at the moment they are planning to close Ditherington unless we can save it.

“All this uncertainty is very damaging for local businesses and organisations that need to use the post office.”