Pat on back for sledging posties

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/linc ... 450519.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A pair of determined postal workers have refused to be beaten by the freezing weather gripping Lincolnshire.

Husband and wife team Peter and Jill Garton have continued their rounds using a sledge to beat the freezing conditions in the county.

The couple have even been using a sledge to make sure their customers in Ingham, Lincolnshire, get their mail.

Peter, 51, and Jill, 49, met on the job and even had a "postie" wedding in their uniforms.

Between them, the couple have more than two decades' experience - Peter for 13 years and his wife for 11 years - and their love of the job has made sure sub-zero temperatures have not stopped them delivering people's mail.

Mr Garton said: "My round covers Ingham, which is about eight miles north of Lincoln, while Jill does the four villages before Ingham - Scampton, Aisthorpe, Brattleby and Cammeringham.

"It's all quite spread out so we tend to help each other out. I usually use my bike, but Jill has a postal van."

Their teamwork has been even more necessary in the cold snap, and the pair have resorted to using a sledge to drag the mail around.

"It's been quite bad up here," Mr Garton said. "We thought the weather would get better after Christmas but it just hasn't.

"We had a sledge hanging up the shed, so we thought we would use that to help.

"We're getting quite adept at using it to deliver post now. It's hard work though, it's hard on the legs."

'Really appreciative'

Mr Garton said he and his wife had not missed a round yet, apart from one or two isolated farms they could not get to, and did not plan to.

He said: "Jill feels the cold terribly, but she's still out in it.

"We get wrapped up warm and try to stop our feet getting wet. We've struggled the last two weeks because we've both had colds but we have a week off soon so we're planning to rest then.

"I have lived in Ingham all my life so I know everybody, I grew up with them.

"They're not just our customers, they're our friends, so it's important to us that we don't let them down.

"They're really appreciative. They're so good to us throughout the year, so we do our bit back.

"Plus, when we see all these stories of schools closing, or bins not being collected, it makes us all the more determined to get out and do our round."

[delboy]

Peter, 51, and Jill, 49, met on the job and even had a "postie" wedding in their uniforms.

[fishtank]

[Fluke]

Pair of sad Gits! Using a sledge may be alright untill they have an accident and are injured or injure sombody else, and then we'll see how fast RM drops them and their good will when a claims winging their way. Try claiming after a trip or fall whilst not wearing the correct foot wear or using the correct equipment!

[brunswick]

who carried out the risk assesment for using a sledge?

[turkeyboy]

should be sacked ,doms will expect every body else to be as stupid as these two

[dounome]

why do people always see the negatives in things

[DGP1]

why do people always see the negatives in things

Experience

[dados]

please tell me they aren't the Krankies

[axeman]

there seems to be two ' sledges' involved yes as someone has already posted it's very ,very sad ...get a life both of you !!!

[Fluke]

why do people always see the negatives in things

What do you see as being posative about using unagreed and potenialy dangerous delivery methods, using equipment that has no safe systems of work and has not been risk assessed?

Its numpties like these pair that engourage unsafe practices in some sort of macabre game of one upmanship (read the comments about schools and bin men) in an attempt to please their gaffers. I wonder how the pair are looked upon their office? I am sure the office severe weather plan makes no mention of sledges, and there would certainly be an outcry over them being allowed to carry out the the delivery, if their frozen corpses were dug out of a snow drift still clutching their D2D and M3.

In my office people are a lot more sensible when it comes to working in severe weather conditions, they are told to only deliver to places that can be safely accessed using approved delivery methods and not to put themselfs or others at risk.

[BELIAL]

Pete and Jill went up the hill to do a special delivery
Pete fell down and broke his crown
And Jill is trying to make ends meet after Pete's fall triggered a stage three and he lost his job(subject to appeal)

[DGP1]

Pete and Jill went up the hill to do a special delivery
Pete fell down and broke his crown
And Jill is trying to make ends meet after Pete's fall triggered a stage three and he lost his job(subject to appeal)

Oh you are nasty but very funny.

[dvbuk55]

Psst! Want to buy a risque video.......................

[DGP1]

Psst! Want to buy a risque video.......................

YES