A BISHOP’S Hull butcher is being forced to chop and change after the closure of the village’s Post Office and stores.

Tim Pope, owner of Bishop’s Hull Butchers, in Bishop’s Hull Road, says he seen fewer customers coming through the door since the adjacent post office closed on November 12.

Mr Pope said: “Each shop complements the other so if people aren’t going into the Post Office for money or supplies then they don’t come in to us either. They’ll go to somewhere like Dulverton to use their Post Office and just visit the butcher there.”

Mr Pope has now started taking on additional services formerly provided by the Post Office.

He said: “We’re giving people cash back because they can’t get money out of the Post Office. We’re going to start selling copies of the County Gazette and we’re trying to sell things like bread, milk and cheese.

“If people want something then we’ll try and accommodate wherever we can.”

Options for the future of the post office and stores are currently being evaluated.

A Post Office Ltd spokesman said: “The branch at Bishop’s Hull closed on November 12 following an audit the details of which are a matter between Post Office Ltd and their agent.

“We are currently assessing the options for the provision of post office services in the area.

“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused by the sudden closure of this branch."