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The Star received correspondence from residents who had noticed that iron red pillar boxes had started to be removed in St Helens, including outside of post offices.
The doors of the pillar boxes have been removed, and cling film has been wrapped around them.
One resident, who expressed concern in a letter to the Star over the loss of the “historical landmarks” said: “Post offices have had no notices regarding this.
“Workmen are just turning up and removing the doors.
“These pillar boxes are a British institution and should not be removed.
“They are not in a dangerous state and, in most cases, they are very well maintained.”
When the Star contacted Royal Mail to ask about this, a spokesperson said the postboxes are being upgraded as part of a national modernisation programme.
They said they will become a “postbox of the future”, and will still bear the iconic red colour, with the change following a successful pilot held earlier this year.
Royal Mail has said the new post box aims “to maximise choice and convenience for our customers”.
The iconic postbox design has been given “a modern makeover” including an extra-large opening to accept parcels larger than those that fit through a letterbox for the first time.
Customers scan their parcel’s barcode and a drawer opens for them to drop it in, and they can also request proof of posting using the Royal Mail app.
The new postboxes were piloted in the areas of Ware, Hertford and Fowlmere, in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, earlier in 2025.
Royal Mail is now rolling them out further across the UK, including in St Helens.
The updates are part of wider efforts to make sending and receiving parcels “as convenient as possible”.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our new postboxes of the future will offer another convenient way for customers in St Helens and elsewhere to access Royal Mail’s services, alongside home delivery and collection, our Customer Service Points, Post Office branches, lockers and Collect+ Parcelshops.”
