Bideford man criticises Royal Mail for removing 'much used' post box

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THE removal of a Bideford post box, which the Royal Mail does not think is needed, has been criticised by a retired engineer, who lives across the street from where it is located.

Earlier this month, the Royal Mail took away the post box in Lime Grove, which was attached to a wall of a private property, after the homeowner asked for it to be removed.

The Royal Mail said it permitted the removal because local area was "adequately served by posting facilities" but Bideford man James Bullard, said it was used a great deal and the organisation had acted unfairly by not consulting with residents over its decision.

Mr Bullard, who is a former engineer, said: "It was just something that was a fixture there and they didn't not tell anybody. They should have given people the chance to object or they should have given people a chance to know what was going to happen.

"Is this the privatised Royal Mail having respect for its customers?"

Mr Bullard said elderly residents living near the post box would now struggle to post their letters as there was no post box nearby.

"If they are older people they are not going to manage it and it seems to be older people that rely on the post nowadays," he said.

"For anybody living up that side of Lime Grove it is going to be a fair old walk."

A Royal Mail spokesman said that the area was adequately served by post boxes.

He said: "Royal Mail is required to provide one posting facility within 800 metres to the vast majority of homes in the UK. In this case, there are nine collection points within 800 meters of Lime Grove, with the Old Northam Road Post Office Box being 321 metres from Lime Grove which is approximately a four minute walk and a 5.30pm collection Monday to Friday, plus the North Road Post Box which is closer at 149 metres from Lime Grove - approximately a minute walk and has a 9am collection Monday to Friday.

Following Mr Bullard's criticisms, the Royal Mail announced it would be visiting Lime Grove this week to see if there was a suitable location nearby where the old box could be resituated.