Village post box blown up and battered

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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ROYAL Mail are refusing to replace Upleadon's post box after it was blown up and battered with a sledgehammer.

Residents now face a four-mile walk to post a letter.

And they are angry that Royal Mail haven't stepped in to help.

Newent mayor and Upleadon resident Eddie Wood said: "These people are probably in offices in big cities and think there is a post box on every corner. But they don't know what it's like in the country.


"It's not fair to expect elderly people that don't drive to walk two miles there and two miles back just to post a letter."

The trouble began earlier this year when vandals blew up post boxes in Upleadon, Highleadon and Hartpury using bird-scaring explosives known as 'crow bangers'.

The police were involved but no-one was ever caught.

The Highleadon and Hartpury boxes were replaced and have remained untouched but the Upleadon box was targeted on two other occasions.

Mr Wood said: "The first time it happened they blew the door clean off.

"Then the second time I found the door halfway across the road.

"After that they put in a box with a narrow slit at the top so they couldn't fit explosives in and they smashed it to death with a sledgehammer."

Since the latest incident Royal Mail has refused to put in a new post box despite requests from residents.

Mr Wood added: "The ex-parish council clerk Dorothy Parker offered to have the box placed outside her house so she could keep an eye on it but Royal Mail refused.

"They have now stopped communicating with us at all."

Royal Mail spokeswoman Jane Thomas said: "After taking into account the risk to Royal Mail, our customers and the provision of post boxes in the area our decision not to re-site the box remains.

"We understand this will disappoint some customers but there are boxes at the Old Post Office in Upleadon and at Highleadon Green."

[Lounge Lizard]

and there will be a lot more of this sort of anti-social behaviour now the tories are in power - mark my words
Most of us will remember Brixton, Toxteth, etc. last time they were in.

[DGP1]

I wonder how many letters the box actually got each day and whether this has any bearing on it being replaced.