A village post office has been given a last minute reprieve.

Post St Mary post office was due to close on January 31 after sub postmaster Jeff Calvert announced he was retiring.

But now he has agreed to extend his contract.

The Post Office board launched a consultation in November but said the counter service would not be replaced on a like-for-like basis.

Instead, it said it wanted to find a partner in the village for parcel collection and to sell postage stamps.

But then Tynwald approved a motion requiring all sub post offices to be kept open until the Chief Minister’s community committee reports back by July.

Post Office chairman Julie Edge MHK said she hoped services will continue until the committee reports back in July.

She said this would give the board time to consider transaction volumes and other commercial contracts it holds with government departments.

Mr Calvert said: ’Calvert Newsagents are pleased to continue to provide counter services in Port St Mary for the foreseeable future.’