Mystery of the 'sealed' Bristol postboxes

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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FIVE postboxes in Ashton Vale were out of service for nearly four weeks after keys used to collect their contents went missing.

Residents were forced to use alternatives outside of the area when all the postboxes were suddenly labelled "out of service".

It turns out a set of keys used by the postman to open them "went missing" on January 6.

It meant he could not access the boxes and five – including those in Swiss Drive, Ashton Drive, Langley Crescent, Whitehouse Street and Somerset Terrace – had to be "sealed" by the Royal Mail.

Kerry Jones, 34, a shop assistant who lives in Swiss Drive, said: "The postboxes were out of service for ages.

"There was no explanation for it and we believed the Royal Mail were cutting down on postboxes round here.

"It was very annoying, especially because there are a lot of elderly people in the area who found it a great inconvenience.

"People either had to go to Winterstoke Road, where it's impossible to stop your car, or South Liberty Lane, which is just for business post.

"It would have been nice for the Royal Mail to let people know what was going on."

Royal Mail spokesperson Val Bodden said: "We can confirm that a set of collection keys went missing on January 6 and this meant we had to seal five postboxes in the BS3 Ashton Vale area of Bristol, affecting boxes in Swiss Drive, Ashton Drive and Langley Crescent, to protect the security of our customers' mail.

"We used a spare set of keys to empty all the affected boxes and ordered new locks immediately.

"Unfortunately the order was delayed and we apologise to customers for this delay.

"But we can now confirm that all five boxes have new locks and are fully operational again, as of Thursday, January 30. Royal Mail apologises to customers for any inconvenience caused.

"Boxes are cleared six days a week and if any customer in the area has any concerns about mail they posted, we advise them to contact our customer services team on 08457 740 740."

[UnhappyGremlin]

Slow news day?