A PONTYPOOL post office will reopen after 10 months of closure.

Garndiffaith Post Office on Stanley Road closed until further notice in September last year, sparking major concern among residents.

It was reported in February how the closure was forcing many customers to travel to Talywain or Abersychan, which was particularly difficult for young families and the elderly in harsh winter conditions.

Local residents put together petition of 270 signatures, asking Royal Mail to provide a mobile post office to ease the effect of the closure.

But Royal Mail has now confirmed that it is seeking to reopen an office in Garndiffaith, and is currently looking for a suitable premises as well as a potential subpostmaster or subpostmistress to come forward.

The vacancy has been advertised on the Post Office website, and a spokesman said Royal Mail hoped to get the service reinstated as soon as possible.

He said the temporary closure was caused by circumstances beyond our control and apologised for the impact it had had.

Torfaen AM Lynne Neagle said the news would come as a “great relief” to the hundreds of local residents who have found the closure to be a “huge inconvenience”.

But she stressed she would be writing to Royal Mail for more details on the possibility of Garndiffaith being turned into Post Office Local, where the post office counter is alongside the till in a convenience store.

She said: “I need to be sure that any replacement will offer local residents the same quality of service they are used to.”

Abersychan councillor Gwyneira Clark, who helped organise the petition to Royal Mail, said residents were “delighted” the Post Office was still committed to providing a service in Garndiffaith.

Cllr Clark said: “It would mean everything to have it reopened. Ten months is a long time, but fingers crossed we will get it back before the year is out.”