THE Post Office have announced that a branch in Irvine is set for an "unplanned closure".

The facility in the Bourtreehill area of the town will be shutting up shop on Wednesday, September 25 at 1pm.

It comes after the resignation of the branch's postmaster, and the withdrawal of the premises at the Village Centre for use as a Post Office.

A message was sent out to customers of the branch by Post Office area change manager Scott Hamilton.

It said: "I would like to assure you that we are working hard to keep any period of closure to a minimum and we are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to reinstate a Post Office service to the local community.

"It is important that any future service is sustainable for the person operating the service, and for Post Office Limited.

"We apologise for the inconvenience this closure may cause. We hope that customers will continue to use Post Office services."

The closest alternative facilities to those at Bourtreehill are just under one mile away in Girdle Toll and Dreghorn.

The Post Office has already started advertising for someone to take over the Irvine area branch.

An application to run the branch has now appeared online with a closing date set for January 17 next year - though this may close early if there is sufficient interest.

The application states that the company are looking to incorporate the facility into their existing or proposed business.

It is hoped this will allow for the same, or similar, operating hours to those presently offered at the Bourtreehill branch.

The estimated Post Office fees for anyone looking to operate the branch in future are estimate at around £4,500-5,500 per annum.

Further information on applying to run the branch is available to view online via the Post Office website.