Mail posted to empty homes

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/ ... :22:48:743" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post men and women are continuing to deliver mail to empty council homes in the city raising concerns about identity fraud should thieves steal the letters.

Shoved behind grids covering up doors and windows hundreds of unopened letters have continued to be delivered even though the houses and flats in Argyle Street have not been lived in for more than a year.

Royal Mail argue if there is a delivery point and they have an addressed letter they have to leave it at the property, but city council officers say the houses are officially boarded up and the mail should stop.

Neighbours in the area say the flats look a mess because of the unopened mail poking through security grids covering the windows and doors.

Fears have also been raised that some of the post is clearly bank documents which are visible through the mesh, leaving personal information on show and possible for fraudsters to take and then use the information to commit identity theft.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “It is a mess - but I suppose at least it means we have a bit of peace because so many of them are now uninhabited.

“I'm an ex-postman and I know that if you have a letter you have to post it to that address.”

But city council staff argue Royal Mail staff should stop delivering the mail and even if they changed the grids to boards, letters would still be forced behind the wood.

A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said: “We have secured the properties to our satisfaction.”

The spokeswoman said the city council were not to blame for the issue with mail and it was in the hands of Royal Mail.

They added: “Any concerns about customer confidentiality and the security of customers' mail will need to be responded to by Royal Mail.”

Tenants started moving out of the flats and houses, which were built in the 1980s, 18 months ago and have been left empty ever since.

But because the area is not completely sealed off, Royal Mail claim they will continue to deliver post.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We will always try to deliver mail to an accessible delivery point as we are legally required to do so.

“If a delivery point was not accessible, we would attempt to return the item to the sender with a suitable endorsement on the envelope.”

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If the letter box is boarded up on my delivery I kill it off - I thought that was standard practice.

[Glenno]

same here T B T saves a lot of agro further down the line

[Pat Ostman]

If the letter box is boarded up on my delivery I kill it off - I thought that was standard practice.

It is I thought.

[resperin]

coincidentially some guy (neighbour of another house) told me that no one lived "there" so i diddnt deliver the mail/ and endorsed it. would you guys done the same, or just delivered it anyway. am i in the wrong for listening to the "neighbour"

[TrueBlueTerrier]

coincidentially some guy (neighbour of another house) told me that no one lived "there" so i diddnt deliver the mail/ and endorsed it. would you guys done the same, or just delivered it anyway. am i in the wrong for listening to the "neighbour"

You never know if they are joking, telling the truth or trying to upset their neighbours, so if there is a delivery point then I deliver it, but if a few weeks later I get loads back to kill off I try to remember the name and address for future reference.

[DGP1]

If there is an accesible delivery point then it gets delivered otherwise it gets endorsed with 'Address Inaccesible' and sent away.

I never listen to any neighbour who tells me someone has gone away, it just gets delivered and I'll let the receiver either give it back to me or stick it back in a postbox.

[dvbuk55]

We shouldn't forget that the customer is the person paying for the delivery, not the recipient. If there is a letter box then it should be delivered unless there has been instructions to the contrary - if the recipient has gone away - tough. But under no circumstances should mail be on view to the general public.