Post Office goes electric with new mobile branch

Villagers in the East could soon spot the Post Office's latest "mobile branch"

An electric van described by the Post Office as a "mobile branch" has hit the road in the East of England.

The vehicle - which it is hoped will reach 17 rural communities across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex - comes equipped with solar panels to power the computer system, lights and heating.

It will be operated by the Post Office at Finchingfield, in Essex, and replaces a diesel vehicle.

Postmistress Alex Robinson said: "Now we have tested the vehicle, our initial range anxiety has subsided, and our confidence [has] grown."

The electric van - only the second the Post Office has introduced - can cover about 100 miles (161km).

Ms Robinson, who runs the Finchingfield branch with Jane Welsh, said they knew all the back routes to the villages the van will head to.

She added: "We have plenty of range for all the places we visit, even in the middle of winter or if there is unexpected traffic."

Stepping into the back of the van is a bit like being in a Post Office branch

A spokesperson for the Post Office said electric mobile offices were more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run than diesel vehicles.

They said the mobile branch was dog-friendly too.

They added: "Many of the communities that the Finchingfield mobile Post Office call at have lots of dog owners, and they take their pets with them to visit the Post Office."

The first electric mobile Post Office was introduced in Pembrokeshire in Wales in the summer.

The mobile Post Office is dog-friendly