SCORES of villagers turned out in force yesterday (July 31) to thank a couple who have provided a vital service in Meliden for the past 40 years.

The doors of the sub-Post Office and shop in Meliden, near Prestatyn, closed for the last time following the retirement of Dennis O'Donnell and his wife Meryl.

It was an emotional occasion for the couple and for their regular customers who applauded them as they appeared on the doorstep.

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To cries of "Don't go" and "We need you", they toasted their retirement with glasses of bubbly.

Lal Boyd, who has been a loyal customer of theirs since their arrival, said: "We wish you well, but you will be greatly missed."

Dennis, who has played an active part in the life of the community, said he appreciated the show of support from villagers.

But he took advantage of the occasion to aim a few barbed words at his former Post Office bosses for their lack of support and failure to understand the vital contributions sub-post offices make to communities such as Meliden.

"They should be ashamed of themselves," he said.

He said that changes in technology were inevitable but in recent years the demands upon sub-postmasters had made the job extremely difficult.

"One of the reasons I took this job was to have the personal contacts and chats with customers but today you are just a number and it's just short of being slave labour," he said.

"Together, we work about 100 hours a week but it's just not appreciated," he added.

Referring to the Horizon IT scandal which resulted in many sub-postmasters losing jobs, their savings and reputations, Dennis said that in 2019 he had lost a relatively small sum of money due to technology problems but he had managed to sort it out and had been compensated.

Donning a small lapel badge, he added: "This is what I got from the Post Office for my 40 years' service."

In response, a Post Office spokesperson said: “We sincerely thank postmaster Dennis O’Donnell for serving the community of Meliden for 40 years and we wish him a well-earned retirement.

"The Post Office area and regional managers presented gifts and a long service to Dennis in person to show our organisation’s appreciation for Dennis loyally serving this community.

"We know that as the postmaster for Meliden he has gone above and beyond for this village for four decades.”