South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the relocated and modernised Ditchingham Post Office last week.

After the previous subpostmaster Doug Glenday announced he wanted to retire, the branch was relocated as part of Post Office plans to modernise the network and extend opening hours for customers.

The new Ditchingham Post Office at Ditchingham Stores in Loddon Road, Ditchingham, offers post office services from a till on the retail counter alongside retail transactions throughout shop opening hours.

The shop and post office will be open from 6am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 7am to 8pm on Saturdays and 9am to 6pm on Sundays.

Mr Bacon said: 'I am delighted that an enthusiastic new family have taken on the running of the post office at their modern premises.

'I am very pleased to formally open the branch and to have the opportunity to congratulate the Thandi family on taking on the post office, which is vital to the community in Ditchingham. The significantly longer opening hours will be very convenient for my constituents.'

Raj Thandi is in charge of the post office, but many members of his family work in the store and will be serving post office customers including his wife Kuljit, parents Baldish and Jaswinder Thandi and his sister Harpreet. They also employ other local staff at the large convenience store.

Mr Thandi, said: 'When we heard the subpostmaster wanted to retire we wanted to ensure that Ditchingham retained a post office as it is so important to a community.

'My family moved to Ditchingham eight years ago when we took on the shop. It is such a lovely community and people have made us very welcome. It feels as though I have lived here all my life.

'We are very happy to have the post office and customers seem very happy too. The whole store was refurbished last year we have easy access and wide aisles to make it easy for people with wheelchairs or pushchairs to get around.'

Gary Herbert, post office senior stakeholder manager, said: 'We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Ditchingham. I am confident this new modern Post Office will meet the needs of the local community and secure services for the future.'

• The Post Office has also announced plans to open Beccles Post Office based in WHSmith in New Market, for four additional hours every Sunday.

The branch will now be open from 10am to 2pm on Sundays, allowing it to serve the community seven days a week.

John Dutton, head of Post Office's WHSmith branches, said: 'We want to make it as easy as possible for customers to access our services. More and more of our branches are opening for longer and we're delighted that customers can now visit our Beccles branch seven days a week.'

Have you got a Beccles or Bungay story? Email david.lennard@archant.co.uk with the details.