ANGER AS POSTBOX TURNS INTO A BIN
Problem blamed on faulty door
FAMILIES are demanding to know when their popular postbox will be brought back into use.
The postbox – on Newcastle Lane in Penkhull – has been out of action for nine months and is currently wrapped in plastic and black and yellow tape.
It means elderly residents are having to walk an extra half-a-mile to alternative postboxes on Queen’s Road or at the junction of Trent Vale Road and Thistley Hough to post their letters and parcels.
Royal Mail is blaming the problem on an ‘unsafe’ door.
The postbox has become a rubbish bin for passers-by as it has filled up with beer cans and other mess.
NHS worker Tony Sherwin, of Penkhull, has been complaining to Royal Mail about the eyesore box since it first started to appear faulty.
The 65-year-old said: “It’s in an awful state and should have been dealt with straight away. You need a postbox that is handy for people.”
He added: “I wish I’d never started this. It started before Christmas 2019, and myself and other people were walking past it from time to time and noticing that the door was open a bit. So we were just clicking it shut.
“This happened time after time, eventually I reported it to Royal Mail.
“Then I spoke to someone at the Leek Road office and they inspected it and said there was a crack in the door. So they took the door off and were ordering a new one.
“That was nine months ago. I’ve chased him and he says Covid has delayed it. Which I understood then, but when
I spoke to him last time I said Covid wasn’t an excuse anymore.
“He said if they couldn’t get a new door they’d have to order a new box and get planning permission and it would take months. It’s a farce.”
Royal Mail has apologised for any ‘inconvenience’.
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We have had to temporarily remove the postbox from service in Newcastle Lane because the door was in an unsafe condition. We are working to repair the box and bring it back in service as soon as possible.
“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this causes our customers. In the meantime, customers can use other boxes in the area or drop off mail at any Post Office branch.”