Under the new scheme, postboxes that are not used as much as others will only be emptied when a postman/woman is delivering in the area, rather than at a specific time of day.
RESIDENTS that use “low-yield” postboxes will now have to send their letters even earlier because of a new scheme being rolled out by Royal Mail.
Under the new scheme, postboxes that are not used as much as others will only be emptied when a postman/woman is delivering in the area, rather than at a specific time of day.
According to a Royal Mail spokesperson, more than half of all postboxes in the LE12 postcode area will be moving onto the new scheme over the next few months.
Other postboxes in surrounding areas will also be affected, including the one in Langley Drive in Kegworth.
It used to be collected at 4pm but under the new scheme, it could be collected as early as 9am on weekdays and 7am on Saturdays.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Collection on delivery means the mail collection from certain postboxes will be carried out by the local postman or woman on their delivery route, at a time dependent on where the box is located on that route.
“This will typically be between 9am and 3pm in urban and suburban areas Monday to Friday and no earlier than 7am on a Saturday.
“A significant decline in letter volumes means that many postboxes no longer cover their costs.
“Rather than decommission uneconomic low-use postboxes, we aim to improve the efficiency of our collections arrangements.
“The box on Langley Drive is moving to collection on delivery as this is a very low use box, only receiving around 25 items per day.
“The nearest 4pm collection to this box is the Kegworth Post Office 667 metres away.
“The plate on the box should detail when the new collection arrangements will come into force.”
The spokesperson also told the Echo that nobody in the area will be more than half a mile away from a 4pm-collection postbox and any affected postboxes will carry a notice giving residents four weeks notice of the changes.
An unhappy Kegworth resident, who did not want to be named, told the Echo: “I noticed on the front of the postbox on Langley Drive in Kegworth the collection times had been altered.
“It states that Monday to Friday post would be collected at 9am and on a Saturday at 7am.
“This means that if you post a letter after 9am it doesn’t have a chance of being delivered the next day, even if you put a first class stamp on it, as it will not be collected until the following day.”
The resident added: “Second class service for village residents!”