A village’s only Post Office – which closed temporarily more than a year ago amid abusive behaviour – will not reopen, it has been revealed.

Charing Post Office shut in December 2022 when the manager, Sarah Crawley, said the site had been hit hard by rising energy bills.

She also said staff had “faced an excessive amount of abusive behaviour”, due to situations out of their control such as the Royal Mail strikes.

After running the Post Office for six years, she called it a day with a Post Office spokesperson apologising for the “unplanned closure”.

Now, Post Office bosses have announced the site will stay closed for good after being unable to find any interest in the site.

“As you may be aware, the above Post Office closed last year for reasons beyond our control,” a letter about the announcement read.

“Since then, we have been exploring our options for restoring a Post Office service to our customers in the area and we have engaged with local businesses and stakeholders.

“Unfortunately, we currently do not have any confirmed interest or Post Office applications, and I’m writing to you and other local representatives to advise you that as there have been no suitable opportunities to reestablish a service, this branch will remain closed.

“Post Office has undertaken a comprehensive review of the branch network to ensure that it continues to meet evolving customer needs in a very challenging economic climate.

“We must ensure that our funding and resources are allocated to deliver maximum benefit and sustainable services for all customers.

“This review examined the network at a very detailed, local level, analysing customer demand and accessibility of Post Office products and services.

“Due to the length of time the branch has been closed, we would need to satisfy ourselves that any new opportunity would be sustainable for both Post Office Ltd and the operator.”

In recent years, villagers fought hard to keep the Post Office in Charing, which was previously run by sub-postmaster Jonathon Brenton.

It was temporarily closed in 2016 following a lengthy dispute between Mr Brenton and Post Office officials over contracts, pay and security at the store following an armed robbery four years earlier.

Protests were held in the village, in which comedian Vic Reeves and his model wife Nancy Sorrell, who live in Charing, were among those waving placards supporting Mr Brenton.

A year later, Mrs Crawley took over.

The next nearest Post Office for residents is in Pluckly or Hothfield, which are both three miles away.

In summer 2022, the nearby Challock Post Office closed after the pandemic and a rise in online shopping hit its trade.

The Post Office at River, near Dover, also shut in October 2023 following “a particularly challenging period” including rising costs.

A spokesman for Post Office said at the time the impact of rising costs, inflation and restrictions on their funding from the Government, meant that while they would always look to reopen branches when they close, they could not commit to doing so in every instance.