A THRIVING Salisbury Plain village has salvaged a vital community service threatened with the axe.

Ludgershall post office was due for closure after supermarket giant, Tesco, took over the One Stop store in Andover Road and decided to ditch the Post Office facility inside.

Realising that the community desperately needed the service, local businesswoman Sue Gardener came to the rescue and contacted post chiefs asking if she could take over the running of it.

Ludgershall Post Office, which opened on Monday, has now been relocated to 16 High Street, in place of Sue's old village store, Next Door, which was totally refurbished.

Sub-post mistress Sue is looking forward to the challenge of running the new business and said: "Many village post offices are closing and it was imperative that we kept it.

"We have been working hell for leather to get it finished and it is a new, exciting learning curve for me, and I have got two great girls working for me."