The Post Office has delivered some bad news to residents in a village between Liss and Liphook.

Rake’s Post Office Outreach Service at the Garden Centre is no longer in operation, following the withdrawal of the premises for the service’s use in January.

The national company apologised for the late notification of the “unplanned” suspension of the service when it wrote to local authorities last week.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “The Post Office has undertaken a comprehensive review of the network to ensure that it continues to meet evolving customer needs in a very challenging economic climate.

This review examined the network at a very detailed, local level, analysing customer demand and accessibility of Post Office products and services.

“Consequently, it has informed our plans for the Network as we work to ensure that our funding and resources are allocated to deliver maximum benefit for all customers. At this time, therefore, we are not looking to replace Rake Outreach service.”

Rogate Parish Council commented: “We are disappointed to hear the outreach Post Office service in Rake Garden Centre has been closed. Although it was only open for very limited hours and days of the week, it provided a useful service, especially for those who do not have their own transport to get to the nearest other Post Office facilities in Rogate and Liss.”

The closest branches for residents now are:

There are no direct bus services available between the former Rake Outreach and these Post Offices.