Hungry snails force closure of postbox

A postbox in a remote part of Northumberland has been closed because of snails crawling through the flap and eating the mail.

The Royal Mail box in Adderstone has been out of use since last month thanks to a hungry snail family. A sign on the front of the red box, dated July 11, reads: “NOT IN USE – snails eating mail”.

Royal Mail said the postbox may be temporarily closed due to “wildlife infestation”, advising customers to use the nearest convenient one.

But Guy Renner-Thompson, a Northumberland County councillor, said: “This serves quite a few houses and farms, and we’d like to get it back open as soon as possible.”

‘I hope Royal Mail find a solution quickly’

Mr Renner-Thompson, the Conservative councillor for the Bamburgh ward, which includes Adderstone, added: “That postbox there has had quite a chequered history, because about a year ago it was stolen and Royal Mail had to replace it.

“Now it’s been attacked by a different sort of pest. But even though it’s in a very remote location it is surprisingly well used, so I hope Royal Mail find a solution quickly.”

A mild winter and wet spring mean it has been a good year for slugs and snails. Duncan Hutt, of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said many people did not realise slugs and snails had a very varied diet.

“Snails eat paper because most contains cellulose from the wood pulp which they can digest and use for energy, and they also get calcium from paper and that’s what they need to build their shells,” he added.

“There’s also an awful lot of snails and slugs around this year following a mild winter and wet spring. That’s good for species like hedgehogs, frogs and song thrushes, which eat them, but not such good news for gardeners or people in Adderstone who want to post a letter.”