Royal Mail ordered to resume deliveries to remote Highland homes

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1625 ... and_homes/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal Mail has been ordered to resume deliveries to homes in a tiny Highland settlement after more than three-and-a-half years.

It claimed the private road to four addresses in Altnabreac, Caithness, was unsafe, after a health and safety assessment.

But in a victory for campaigning locals, Ofcom, the government’s postal watchdog, has ordered it to reinstate daily deliveries immediately.

Householders in Altnabreac, home to Scotland’s most remote rail station, have had to endure 37-mile round trips to Halkirk, Caithness, to pick up their letters and parcels since 2014.

Ofcom’s decision was reached after Kevin Booth of Lochdhu Lodge appealed against Royal Mail’s decision to suspend deliveries to the area due to “road conditions”.

Mr Booth said that he was delighted his fight for justice was vindicated.

In a letter to north MP Jamie Stone’s office, Mr Booth wrote: “The Ofcom decision has ruled entirely in my favour in every aspect of my appeal against the Royal Mail decision to suspend mail deliveries to rural areas of Caithness as part of a cost-cutting drive.

“My appeal has wide-ranging consequences for ALL rural properties in Caithness, which may have been affected by similar arbitrary decisions by Royal Mail - who have been shown to have been acting outside their remit."

Giving notification of its initial suspension in October 2014, Royal Mail said it had undertaken a review of deliveries due to difficulties caused by the condition of the private access road/track to the property.

Royal Mail said: “We have completed a health and safety risk assessment of the access road and deemed it unsafe to use by our employees.”

[rubberbond]

Royal Mail should stop bleating about health and safety and hiding behind it all the time, surely the residents come and go about their daily business without incident , why don't Royal Mail buy a vehicle that can cope with the terrain? There are solutions there if you want to look for them.

[GRS]

Well done Mr.Booth for sticking to the fight, that would have been the thin end of the wedge if RM had won. No doubt if it had gone their way other small communities would have faced the same thing. Money saving cuts under the guise of H&S which funnily enough RM pay lip service to the rest of the time.

[PHARRY]

Royal Mail should stop bleating about health and safety and hiding behind it all the time, surely the residents come and go about their daily business without incident , why don't Royal Mail buy a vehicle that can cope with the terrain? There are solutions there if you want to look for them.

For example A Mitsubishi Shogun

[scoobymunster]

Does Royal Mail not already use 4x4s in some parts of rural Scotland? There's photos of liveried-up Ford Rangers on Google.