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AN ANDOVER councillor has questioned the system put in place by the Royal Mail after a beehive forced the service to close the towns customer service point.
Andover St Mary’s ward councillor Iris Andersen said she wants to know what system the staff has put in place to solve the ongoing disruptions in services.
“We had a perfectly good system where I live,” Cllr Andersen told the Advertiser.
“You know your local postman, you know exactly what time he comes here, and now within a month all that has changed.
“Everyone is asking why the mails are 2-3 weeks behind. Have they got the staff to cover it?
“Mails are one of the most important thing of our lives. Not everything can be sent by emails.”
The customer service point on Bridge Street is closed with residents unable to collect parcels as the company struggles to get a contractor to remove the beehive.
It is causing the roof to cave in and leak, and is compounding postal issues faced by residents as Covid-related absences hit the town’s deliveries.
Residents across the town have been facing disruption in Royal Mail services over the past 30 days.
Cllr Andersen said she understands the Covid situation, but added that the Royal Mail should have arranged an alternate plan to avoid disruptions.
“I know we have gone through a pandemic and Covid. But when that was happening, I didn’t see any fault in the system.
“I want to know to know if there is a way they can divert that system through local post office.
“They take the parcels in at the local post office. If they can make the deliveries from the same place, it would work sufficiently.”
A spokesperson for the Royal Mail first cited Covid as the reason for delays in deliveries, but there is a notice outside the Bridge Street delivery centre, saying it is closed due to a plumbing leak. The notice says the structural engineers are looking into the matter, which will require honeybees removed from the cavity to gain access.
When the Advertiser contacted the Royal Mail about the leaking roof, a spokesperson said: “A small section of the roof at the Andover Delivery Office collapsed following water leakage caused by a bees nest.
“No one was injured in the incident. The safety of our colleagues is our number one priority at Royal Mail. Our people were asked to leave the office while our Health & Safety and Property teams investigated.
“We have contacted a beekeeper to safely remove the bees. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused. Anyone with concerns about their mail can contact our Customer Services team or request a redelivery of their parcel online.”
