THE new Post Office opened its desk at 1pm today to queues of customers pleased to see the service back on the High Street.

Brentford has been post office-less for three years now and residents expressed they were happy to see the return of this vital community business.

It comes after the ward experienced the loss of the Hounslow Royal Mail sorting office earlier in the year, which relocated to Hanworth, as shared in our interview with local legend Postman Pete.

The new postal service is located at the Food Link store at 204 Brentford High Street and will be run by newly trained post master Miki Shah.

Shah, also Food Link owner and manager, said: "I've been here seven years and we've been trying to get a post office for the last three.

"We are happy to sell to the local community, especially for the elderly people as they have to wait 45 minutes in a queue at other places."

The Post Office officially opened at 1pm but started serving at 12:35, and during this time they already had nine customers.

An official Post Office trainer is at hand all day to help Shah learn the ropes.

The trainer commented that it was going very good and that Shah had done the best transactions already.

Training and supervision will be provided for the next six months to make sure the site runs smoothly.

The trainer said: "I think this is going to be a busy one looking at the demand so far, I think more people will be flooding in when they find out about it locally."

He commented that the post master was already "confident and competent" in his new role.

Brentford resident Roberta Hart said: "It's about time we had one here.

"I've lived in Brentford all my life and seen the closure of the post offices and now there's no banks.

"We have to go to Ealing and Hounslow instead, well some people can't make it, especially older people."

Another customer waiting in line had taken two buses from South Ealing, to get to the Brentford Post Office, after seeing it had opening on Facebook.

This follows the closure of South Ealing Post Office due to anti-social behaviour last month.

One customer, and Brentford resident of 13 years, referred to the opening as "brilliant" and mentioned the amount of bus fares she had wasted over the years having to go to the Hounslow Post Office.

Cllr Theo Dennison, for Syon ward, attended the opening and said a Post Office had been missed by the community.

He said: "The community missed it when it was closed and it looks really great - and busy.

"They're doing a great job getting it open and hopefully it will see people come flooding in."

Stationary is being delivered to the store tomorrow to stock the back wall with a whole new range of postal service items.

The contract for the new Post Office was signed last February, however, due to the pandemic, plans were postponed and the shop has only just been able to open.

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