MICHELLE Donelan MP's constituency office is fully operational after she signed a five-year lease on an office in New Road in Chippenham.

The building, next to BCH Camping, is recognisable by the original bakery shop front which dates back to the 1940s.

Miss Donelan said: “It’s taken a while to find a permanent home because we had to concentrate on making the office of the MP functional in a temporary location. We’re settled in now, though and fully operational.

“The wood frame was rotten and the builders had to remove several layers before they unearthed the original Carlton Bakery sign.

“It will have to be covered at some point but we are hoping to be able to preserve it rather than just paint over it.”

Three staff will be based permanently at the office, while a fourth will split their time between Chippenham and Westminster.

The Bath office of national property consultancy Carter Jonas helped the Chippenham MP find her new constituency home.

Thomas Parker of Carter Jonas said: “This is an ideal location for Michelle and her team, right in the centre of Chippenham and within a stone’s throw of local facilities and the train station.”

Staff at the office, the former home of Swinton Insurance, will deal with constituents’ casework queries and also plan Ms Donelan’s activities in the constituency, which includes Corsham, Bradford on Avon, Melksham and surrounding villages.