Pigeon poo stops deliveries

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Royal Mail postmen refuse to deliver letters to woman's home because they are scared of slipping on pigeon poo
Heather Rogers, 63, has not received regular mail deliveries since October
Postal workers claim bird mess on Wheelbarrow Lane in Helston, Cornwall, makes delivering post to the address 'too slippery'

Royal Mail says delivery was suspended because of broken glass and slimy path

The frustrated resident has been told by Royal Mail that the amount of bird waste in an alleyway leading to her house in Cornwall is a health and safety risk.

But Royal Mail said that the service was resumed three week after it was suspended, which was due to broken glass and a 'slimy' walkway.

Mrs Rogers noticed the issue when BT rang her in October to demand payment for a phone bill she never received.

She went to the post office to pick it up where it had been marked 'too slippery'. Officials at Royal Mail have told her that it is up to each postal worker to decide if they want to walk on the pigeon droppings.


Mrs Rogers said: 'I went to the post office and they said they hadn’t been going down there because it was too slippery with all the pigeons.

'A few of the letters had "too slippery" written on the envelopes. Some come through the door but the rest pile up at the post office.'


She was then asked by her bank if her circumstances had changed because her undelivered bank statement was returned.


Mrs Rogers says she has called in environmental health officers from Cornwall Council to clean up the droppings - but the bothersome birds simply return.


A Royal Mail spokesman said: 'We suspended delivery to two addresses in Wheelbarrow Lane, Helston, in October 2012, because the postman delivering there reported broken glass and a slippery, slimy surface on the path in the narrow alleyway.


'We informed the customers of the suspension and told them we would be contacting the local authority to request cleaning work be carried out in the alleyway.


'We advised the customers that we would hold their mail for collection in the local delivery office, about 500 yards away from their properties, at Helston Delivery Office, until the pathway was made safe.


'This was completed about three weeks later by the council and deliveries were resumed at this time.

'The safety and welfare of our staff is paramount and we only suspend deliveries if the safety of our postmen and women is at risk.

'Royal Mail delivers to almost 29 million addresses across the UK and our postmen and women go out in all weather conditions including wind, rain, snow and ice, so it is always a last resort if we decide not to deliver to a specific address or addresses.'