Customers were queuing down the street to use a Falmouth post office last Thursday and Friday following the temporary closure of the town's main office.

Disgruntled residents, many of them elderly, were forced to walk the steep hill up to the Killigrew Street post office after customers heading to the town's main office on The Moor found the branch shut.

As previously reported in the Packet, Glynis and Don Martin, who run the main branch, announced early last month that the office would be temporarily moving to the former St Julia's Hospice charity shop further up The Moor, to allow for a complete refit of the main branch and £Plus Shop.

Mr Martin said that public notices had been put up warning people of the move. The notices had also reminded people that the main office would shut at the end of trading on the Wednesday evening, with services beginning again on the Monday in the temporary accommodation.

However, the brief reduction of post office services provided a boost in trade for John Marven, post master at the Killigrew Street post office.

Mr Marven said: "It was like Christmas all over again. I know that an enormous number of people that are regulars with us said that the queue was out the door. Thursday was the most busy, because Thursday is one of the two pension paying days."

He admitted that some customers were "a bit disgruntled" with the arrangement.

He said: "There were a lot of people who weren't entirely happy about the fact it was closed. People were certainly huffing and puffing a bit after they go up the hill!"

Services are now back up and running as normal in Falmouth, with the post office running from the former St Julia's Hospice store until the completion of the refit, which is expected to take between 12 and 16 weeks.