THE village shop in Stratton reopened on Saturday, having been closed since January.

The Village Community Store has been reopened at Lords Court, Stratton, without the post office, by Tony and Dawn Piercey who have also helped to run Bridgerule Stores for the past year.

The couple, who live just outside Bridgerule, were approached by a friend who had purchased the Stratton shop, asking them if they were interested in running it. Dawn said: "The opportunity came along and we took it."

The store, which is open seven days a week, including from 7am to 7pm four days of the week, sells fruit and vegetables, the Bude & Stratton Post and other newspapers and other general convenience store items. Dawn said they had also applied for a licence to sell alcohol.

She said although there were still some residents who did not know the shop had reopened, the response from those who did know had been positive with many feeling "like they've got their community back."

She added: "The response from local people is that it's lovely to have a shop back."

The Bude & Stratton Post will still also be available at Congdon's in Stratton.