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Businesses in Alsager say they have always wondered why the town has a Stoke-on-Trent postcode despite being in Cheshire. Alsager is covered by Cheshire East Council, Cheshire Police, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and has a Crewe telephone code.
But its postal address has the Stoke-on-Trent code of ST7. It caused confusion recently during the coronavirus pandemic when lockdown tiers were introduced for different areas and residents living on the Staffordshire-Cheshire border were left wondering whether their home lied within tier one or stricter tier two restrictions.
Now businesses say changing the postcode to CW seems like ‘the right thing to do’. Mel Lumley works at Timeless Carpets & Flooring, on Crewe Road, and says the postcode should be changed if it will make costs such as insurance cheaper.
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The 46-year-old said: “It is weird that we have a Stoke-on-Trent postcode, it’s strange. We have an ST postcode, when we’re covered by Cheshire East Council.
“It’s always confused many residents of Alsager. I’ve lived her all my life and it’s always been a question why.
“It’s always had an ST postcode, I think it’s like that because we’re on the border. It wouldn’t bother me if it changed to CW, we are Cheshire East, so it just seems like the right thing to do.
“But also, why change something after so long? If it does make things like insurance cheaper then it would be for the better.”
Ray Evans owns Alsager Pet Stores on Crewe Road. He said: “30 years ago I would have said change the postcode, but now we’re used to it.
“When we first moved here it was awful because you had to look up numbers in the phone book as our code is 01270 rather then the Stoke-on-Trent telephone code.
“But I think changing it now after this length of time would upset more people and wouldn’t be worth it because everyone has mobile phones now.”
A bid was launched back in 2000 to change Alsager’s postal address by Alsager Town Council, but it was rejected by Royal Mail on the grounds that only 321 people out of a population of more than 12,000 signed a petition backing the move.
Councillor June Buckley believes changing the postcode could be an ‘administrative nightmare’. She said: “This has been batted backwards and forwards for a long time.
“I feel the only confusing thing about it is if you look for schools in Stoke-on-Trent, Alsager High School comes up, but it’s not under Stoke-on-Trent City Council, it’s under Cheshire East. It’s muddying of waters.
“I do think the postal address is confusing that it’s classed as Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and we’re in Cheshire East, but some people just put Cheshire on the address.
“But I’ve always been used to the Stoke-on-Trent postcode and I don’t think it would make much difference. I don’t know if it would make any changes to insurance and I don’t think we’re in a particularly high insurance band from the point of view of burglaries and car thefts.
“I think to suddenly have a new postcode could be an administrative nightmare.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Postcodes are allocated based on the requirements of Royal Mail’s delivery network, so that mail is routed as efficiently as possible to the delivery offices responsible for a particular local area. Mail for Alsager is routed via Stoke-on-Trent and therefore is allocated an ST postcode.”
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