Royal Mail denies claims over delivery office - Chatteris

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ROYAL Mail has flatly denied it is closing a sorting office on health and safety grounds, calling the idea “a nonsense”.

Chatteris town councillor Chris Howes claims the Royal Mail is shutting the town’s delivery office, in Park Street, because it has stairs.

He said two senior officers in the organisation told a meeting last week it was under consultation because health and safety experts wanted to “de-risk multi floor working” – or stop postal staff walking up stairs.

Cllr Howes said: “When I heard this I wanted to alert people to the ridiculousness of the situation, it is political correctness gone mad.

“If they can’t go up and down stairs in the office then how are they going to deliver letters to a block of flats?”

But a spokesman for the Royal Mail dismissed the idea and said it was so it could install modern equipment.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Any suggestion the relocation of the Chatteris delivery office is down to ‘health and safety reasons relating to stairs’ is nonsense.

“The move is purely for business and operational reasons and is part of Royal Mail’s business-wide investment and modernisation programme.

“The fact is a relocation to nearby March will provide improved working conditions and new equipment and a more cost-effective operation.”

The move to March has been opposed by Chatteris residents and a petition has been launched with thousands of supporters so far.

To join the opposition visit http://tinyurl.com/chatterispost" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.