Village residents could soon be left without a vital local service, as Cairneyhill Post Office has been marked for closure.

It was recently announced that the service will close its doors on November 20, following the resignation of the Postmaster, which has raised concerns among the community with the population of the village set to rise dramatically in future.

Chair of Cairneyhill Community Council Chris Smith said: “We’re obviously really disappointed to hear what’s happening. We had no notion that it was going to close down.

“This is an expanding village. We’ve already got 70 houses going up and there’s another planning application gone in for another 256. Then we lose the post office? I mean it doesn’t make sense to me.

“I know a lot of people rely on this service. We’re in the process of contacting a couple of people. Whether someone can be found to take it on, I’m not certain.

A letter sent by the Post Office to residents said: “We will continue to work hard to restore services in the area as soon as possible.

“Future provision will reflect customer numbers and usage, and we may take the opportunity to establish an alternative type of service.

“This may be a local style branch which runs alongside an established retail shop in newly refurbished premises and creates a more modern and convenient experience for customers.

“It is important that any future service is sustainable for the person operating the service, and for Post office Limited.”

Local MP Graeme Downie said: “The community is really energised to find a solution.

 “What we need to do is find a new Postmaster to take over the service, and also a new location. That’s what the Post Office is trying to do and hopefully I can help them do that.

“It’ll be up to the person taking it over to try and decide where they can put it. The post office will offer the training and everything needed if we can find someone.

“I’ve had a couple of people in the community get in touch with some suggestions already. I’ve connected the post office representatives here with those people, and they’re going to talk to them either this week or very early next week.

“I know it’s a very well used service. The feedback is that it’s something the community values. I live quite close-by, so I use it myself for postage and currency.

“Hopefully it is a service that we can try and save, but it will be difficult.”

If the problem isn’t solved by the closing date, residents are recommended to use alternative Post Offices in Crossford and Oakley.