A RURAL post office which had to turn elderly people away when its computer broke is serving Royal Mail customers again.

Post Office bosses had to apologise after a computer glitch at Mellor Post Office meant it was unable to pay pensions for nearly two weeks.

The problem, which saw the computer go down on Friday, March 17, forced customers to travel to Mellor Brook or into Blackburn to use Post Office facilities.

But a team of engineers has fixed the IT facilities and normal service has resumed.

Kirsten Heys, 36, sub-postmistress at the village branch, in Church Lane, said: "Thankfully the computer was working again by last Thursday.

"The engineers worked out what the problem was and we were able to serve people properly by Friday morning.

"People have been coming back to us, but some people don't know the computer is working again.

"Hopefully word is getting round that we are up and running now."

The branch serves people from Mellor and as far afield as Lammack, Shear Brow, Osbaldeston and Balderstone.

Pensioners and benefits claimants ordinarily use a debit card to withdraw money from the Post Office.