A NORTHWICH post office threatened with closure has been saved, though it will be moving base.

Cuddington Post Office on Trickett Lane has been up for sale for 12 months, and owner Robert Dickinson feared the village could lose the facility. But residents can breathe a sigh of relief as a buyer has been found.

Mr Dickinson said: 'It has taken a long time and I

can't say too much yet, but I can confirm a buyer has been found. The post office will move to another premises and I can't say where that will be yet, but it will definitely still be in the centre of Cuddington.'

Mr Dickinson, who is selling up to retire, admitted: 'We would certainly have closed had no buyer been found in the next few weeks. The Post Office itself wanted us to continue but we were getting too old and we want to retire.

'It's taken so long because to be honest the Post Office has had lots of bad publicity in recent months. There has been the announcement that the Government will take away £150m in subsidies, and it's also taking away our card bank account service and TV licensing service by 2010. That is not only taking away our subsidies, but also two of our main business generators - hardly encouraging people to sell up their property and open a post office.

'Fortunately, we have a buyer now and, depending on how things go, the new office will open in February and March.'

* The Government is tomorrow expected to announce the closure of 2,500-3,000 post offices.