ROYAL Mail is looking to solve a postal problem in Norton.
They are to “explore the possibil-ity” of re-locating a post box on Commercial Street – following complaints from Norton Town Council, a district councillor and a housebound elderly man.
William Bradshaw, 95, of Church Street, Norton, has been fo
rced to hire taxis so he can drop off his mail ever since Royal Mail closed the town’s post office earlier this year and bricked up its post box.
The pensioner, who lives with his 85-year-old wife Joan, said that it takes him more than 10 minutes to walk the 400 to 500 metres to the nearest drop-off point for his correspondence.
That closure led to Norton Town Council and district Cllr Howard Keal taking up the cause on behalf of Mr Bradshaw and the rest of Norton's resident and businesses by firing off letters demanding a new post box on or near Church Street.
In his letter to Royal Mail, Cllr Keal said: “Boxes that the Mail apparently considers sufficient provision for the town are in fact some distance from the post box that has been closed.
“Elderly residents, shoppers and businesses miss the easy access to the previous post box and elderly people find it difficult to walk all the way to the other post boxes.”
“I urge you to immediately restore the service to the previous level and suggest a visit to look at the distances involved in forcing people to use boxes at the far end of Commercial Street or Langton and Welham Road.”
It led to a reply from Andrew Coles, Royal Mail’s collections planning manager for the area, who said: “The only help I can offer is to explore the possibility of relocating the box on Commercial Street. The box could move towards Church Street subject to utility clearance.”
Cllr Keal welcomed the response and said such a move would be a “red letter day” for residents and local businesses.
