An Isle of Wight town centre Post Office will not stay open until early next year after all, it has been confirmed.

Despite the sudden closure of Central Stores, where it was based, the Post Office, on Well Road, East Cowes, was expected to remain open until January.

However, Post Office confirmed to the County Press this has not been possible due to a 'shortage of staff'.

Both the store and the Post Office shut on August 14.

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A Post Office spokesperson said: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by the unplanned closure.

“We know how important a Post Office is to a community and we will continue to work hard to restore services in the area as soon as possible.

"We would welcome any applications from potential retail partners interested in running a branch locally on our behalf. "

East Cowes Cllr Karl Love said the town council has registered an interest to run some form of Post Office but it will most likely, "not be a quick fix".

The nearest Post Office can be found at 0.9 miles away, up the hill at Osborne Garage, York Avenue, which is open daily.

Alternatively, residents can head Pan Post Office, which is also open daily and is five miles away, the Post Office said.

The East Cowes vacancy is currently being advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk.