Road torn in two by Royal Mail.

[NEWS]

Portsmouth.co.uk

ROYAL Mail bosses sent residents a letter telling them they would no longer be receiving post.
People living in 10 new homes in Whiteley were informed postmen wouldn't be delivering over health and safety fears.

Royal Mail has classed the homes in Dumas Drive and Coleridge Drive as within a hard-hat area because of construction work going on nearby.

Now the residents have been told they need to make a 14-mile round trip to pick up their mail from the local sorting office in Newgate Lane, Fareham.

To make matters worse, the sorting office is only open from 7am to 2pm Mondays to Fridays or 7am to 12.30pm on Saturdays until further notice.

Ted and Michelle Smart have just moved into their new home in Coleridge Drive, and couldn't believe the letter when it arrived.

Retired Mr Smart, 68, said: 'It's ridiculous. They charge us enough for stamps and everything else, and now we will have to go right out of our way to get our post.

'What about people who are working or have to take their kids to school? What are they going to do?'

Local ward councillor Sean Woodward added:
'It's crazy. These are houses with people living in them, and council services are running to
them.

'If this really is an issue, I want to know why they can't at least take the post to our local post office here in Whiteley or Persimmon's site office.'

But Royal Mail stood by its decision, and spokeswoman Jaqui Stenson said residents could make alternative arrangements to have their mail delivered to another address nearby until it was satisfied the area was safe for its staff.

Mrs Stenson said: 'Each individual will have to set up an agreement with the delivery office to have their post taken to an alternative address.

'We have sent representatives out to look at the site again and we will be reassessing the situation.'

She added that hard hats would not be issued to staff, and even if it supplied them, they would not be sent to the area as it was still considered unsafe.

[iow1]

don't see the problem. we have lot's of new builds over here. each and every time we tell the builders we won't be delivering. until safe to do so. when they get sold off we let the resident know. it's not like it forever. just a couple of months. use the call and collect system pick it up once a week. surely no one can be that busy that they can't manage at least once a week. it's not the posties fault but the builders. surely those residents dont wish harm to there postie do they?

[KawasakiKid]

For f**ks sake, Posties have been delivering on building sites for 100s of years. It's just another load of PC bollox---------------KWACKERS

[POSTMAN]

Here's the pic that they've used in the article.

Homes at the centre of the controversy.

I'm gonna Flyer 'em this week get them on here,see what they have to say.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

It is still a building site there is no road. Kawasaki you're right when I was starting had to do one walk which had an ex-council estate being knocked down and re-built - still delivered though.

It could be a bit of "refusal to co-operate" from the postie or more likely RM being PC as you say.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

They charge us enough for stamps

Apparently we don't aren't RM loosing money on all stamped letters.

[cockney rebel]

FFS!! we have awhole new housin estate goin up here 500+ houses and we are still delivering WAKE UP RM isnt the public loosing enough faith in us without you turnin them away to the competition?

[evilc]

Here's the pic that they've used in the article.

Homes at the centre of the controversy.

I'm gonna Flyer 'em this week get them on here,see what they have to say.

In my time as a delivery postie, I delivered to several new estates like that. Not only that I had a registered packet every week with the builders wages enclosed.