A town's post office is to close within a month, a town council has confirmed as it prepares to launch a temporary service.

McColl's announced in January its store on St Mary's Street, Bungay, which housed the town's post office, would cease trading, with an initial date of January 2021 given.

However, the post office will now close on December 22 following the resignation of the operator.

After monitoring the situation since the announcement, and with lobbying from Waveney MP Peter Aldous, Bungay Town Council is now hoping to provide a temporary service based inside the Town Hall, in Broad Street, which could be up and running immediately after the Christmas and New Year break.

Bob Prior, Bungay mayor, said: "Even in these difficult times, the town council continues to work tirelessly to ensure our residents have access to vital services.

"Just as when we lost the ATMs in the town centre following the closure of the banks, we made sure that this facility became available again.

"It is worth noting that none of this would have been possible without first acquiring the freehold of the council offices earlier this year and the hard work, dedication and determination of town councillors with a focus to make good things happen."

Details of opening times, services offered and access during the coronavirus pandemic will be announced once details have been agreed with the Post Office, a spokesperson for the council confirmed.

A Post Office spokesperson said: "We understand how important a Post Office is to a community and we will continue to work to try to find a solution that will provide a Post Office service to the community in this area as soon as possible.

"In the interim, alternative branches include Ditchingham and Kirby Cane.

"The vacancy is advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk and our field team has visited retailers in the area to raise awareness about the opportunity.

"We have had some local interest in the opportunity but our negotiations are still at an early stage."

A spokesperson for McColl's confirmed the store would close on January 8, 2021.

They said: "We are saddened to no longer be operating the store and our priority has been to support all affected colleagues.”