The Post Office has praised a parish council for setting up a counter service in the village hall.

Blewbury Parish Council distributed 650 questionnaires to people living in the village to find out how many would support a post office in the village hall.

They received 241 replies and 237 of those were in favour of seeing a post office returned to the village.

Blewbury has been without a post office since its village shop closed last July. The nearest post office counters are in East Hagbourne and Didcot.

Chairman of Blewbury Parish Council Dr Mike Marshall said: "There is already a doctor's surgery at the hall and people taking their children to school use the village hall car park so it is a focal point for the village."

Floyd Jebson, a post office spokesman, said the Post Office expected the shop would be open in three months' time because planning permission had to be obtained to authorise change of use of the premises and someone had been appointed to run the office.

Mr Jebson praised the parish council for being the driving force behind the project. He said: "A big thank you to them for being so pro-active."

East Hagbourne parish council has been subsidising a post office, which is part of the garage in New Road, for three years. Chairman Monica Lawson said: "We deal with about 250 pensions a week and the post office does a tremendous turn-over."

The post office has been without a postmistress since April 14 and is currently open from 9am to 11am every morning, except Saturdays, while somebody is found to fill the post full time. Mrs Lawson said two people were interested in the position. There was no threat of the post office closing.