DARTON post office, ravaged by the floods two months ago, will reopen, the owners have pledged.

Jill and Anthony Auty say industrial dryers have reduced the saturation at the Church Street premises from 100 per cent to 23 per cent in just six weeks.

Jill, 38, said: “It’s our home and business so there is no way we are going to let it close. People seem to think that it’s been condemned and is going to be pulled down and demolished and it’s not.”

Anthony, 40, added: “We know there’s nothing wrong with the building itself because we've had engineers come and survey it and they told us it is structurally sound. We want to make it clear to residents that we are going to reopen.”

The future of the post office remained uncertain when the couple's insurance company originally refused to settle their claim because of an ‘undisclosed technicality’, leaving them with a silt-covered post office that has been shut for nearly two months.

Anthony says progress has been made with the insurers they are now settling their claim. He added: “Whatever the original underlying problems were, they've said it has nothing to do with us because of the date we took over the policy from the previous owners.

“When they first refused we were devastated but we appealed the decision. They looked at our case again and decided we weren't in the wrong.”

The insurance company has now taken over repair work, which could total £100,000, and are working with the couple to get the post office open again.