Fed up with long walk just to post a letter

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Fed-long ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RESIDENTS in new housing developments in Portishead are campaigning for additional post boxes, claiming they have to walk more than a mile to post a letter.

People living at Waverley Court have collected a 261-name petition which has now been handed to Royal Mail asking for additional post boxes at Port Marine and the Village Quarter.

The drive is being led by pensioner Joan Eggmore, who says she has to walk almost one and a half miles from her home at Waverley Court, off Forth Avenue, to her nearest post box at Waitrose in Harbour Road to post a letter.

In the past, one of the residents of the elderly people's flats used to collect post from all his neighbours and take it to the post box in the town centre.

But now he has moved, residents are forced to walk or get a friend to drive them to Harbour Road if they want to put something in the post.

Pensioner Mrs Eggmore, who uses a mobility scooter, said: "It is ridiculous that people have to travel this far to get to the nearest post box.

"Some people, especially the elderly, find it difficult to walk that far and many do not have a car so have to rely on friends or family.

"I decided to launch the petition to see if we could get extra facilities in place in the new developments.

"I also collected signatures at the local Trinity Primary School and all the parents were keen to sign as they are having the same problem.

"Residents should be able to go and do something as simple as posting a letter without having to get in the car or face the prospect of a lengthy walk.

Under Royal Mail rules, everyone should be within 500 metres of a postbox.

Portishead councillor Reyna Knight said there had been calls for additional post boxes on the new developments in the past.

A previous call for better facilities led to an additional post box being installed at Lockside last year.

Mrs Knight said: "We are the second largest town in North Somerset with a continually growing population.

"These developments have been put in place without all the right facilities for new residents.

"It seems silly that someone has to walk two kilometres or get in the car just to go and post a letter."

Royal Mail is currently working with Portishead Town Council to try and find a suitable location on the new developments for a second post office for the town.

The town only has one main post office, which is based at McColls in the High Street, and often there are large queues of people waiting to use it.

Representatives from Royal Mail will be visiting the town next week to assess the provision of post boxes on the new developments.

Royal Mail spokesperson Mike Norman said: "We are aware of the strong public opinion regarding the current provision of posting facilities in Portishead.

"We are assessing the current provision as a matter of urgency."