A VILLAGE’S Post Office dating back to the 1800s is set to close its doors for good this afternoon (Thursday).

Aberlady will be left without a Post Office from 1pm after Ross and Louise Searle shut up shop for the last time.

The Post Office is working to try to find an alternative solution but nothing is currently in place.

Mr Searle said: “The Post Office is closing because my wife, who was postmistress, was retired on ill health grounds in March or April last year.

“We own the property here and the Post Office continued with a temporary sub post-master Andrew Gilhooly on a month-to-month basis.

“We have now sold the property and the agreement with the Post Office has come to an end.”

Mr and Mrs Searle have been involved with the village’s Post Office since 1996.

Initially, the business operated as a newsagents and Post Office before focusing on Post Office operations in 2013.

Mr Searle said they were looking to retire in the area and that a new family would be moving into the property later this year.

He added: “I will miss it, definitely. I will miss it because it is a great business or job to work in with human contact and you are face to face with the public all the time, which has great benefits… and occasional drawbacks!”

The closure of the Post Office will mean several services moving out of the village.

Currently, there are no other facilities offering personal and business banking, as well as offering people the chance to top up their electricity or gas cards.

It is understood that the Post Office is looking into the possibility of offering an outreach service in the village.

However, that will see the hours on offer drop from 20 per week to just four, spread over two days.

Councillor Jeremy Findlay, who represents the North Berwick Coastal ward, was disappointed with the loss of the facility and accused the Post Office of “abandoning” rural communities.

He said: “The closure of Aberlady Post Office is very disappointing and a great loss to not only the village but also the surrounding area.

“Following on from the loss of the Post Office in Gullane, this seems to be another example of the management of the Post Office abandoning the rural communities, which is strange given that the population of these villages is increasing and has an elderly demographic who have more need of these services.”

Iain Gray, East Lothian MSP, shared similar feelings and was keen to see some kind of postal service remain in the village.

He said: “The closure of Aberlady Post Office is a real concern, especially as it follows the loss of Post Office services in Gullane and Dirleton over recent years.

“I have written to Post Office Ltd to urge it to do everything possible to keep a local Post Office service and will continue to support efforts to find alternative provision to serve the village.”

A Post Office Spokesperson said: "Aberlady Post Office is due to close on Friday at 1pm at short notice. This is because the premises, which we do not own, are being withdrawn for Post Office use as the shop has been sold.

“We understand how important a Post Office is to a community and we would like to reassure customers that we are working hard to try to restore Post Office in Aberlady as soon as possible.”