Outrage as Stoke-on-Trent postbox left looking like this for almost a year

Families are demanding to know when their popular postbox will be brought back into use.

The postbox – on Newcastle Lane, in Penkhull – has been out of action for nine months and is currently wrapped in plastic and black and yellow tape.

It means elderly residents are having to walk an extra half-a-mile to alternative postboxes on Queen’s Road or at the junction of Trent Vale Road and Thistley Hough to post their letters and parcels.

Royal Mail is blaming the problem on an ‘unsafe’ door.

But the postbox has become a garbage can for passers-by as it has filled up with beer cans and other mess.

NHS worker Tony Sherwin, of Penkhull, had been complaining to Royal Mail about the eyesore box ever since he noticed the faulty door.

The 65-year-old said: “It’s in an awful state. It has got the Queen’s logo on it – it’s Royal Mail. It should have been dealt with straight away. It shouldn’t be sitting there for 12 months. It’s very important, this is our mail.

“Penkhull is an elderly area and you need a postbox which is handy for people.”

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He added: “I wish I’d never started this. It started before Christmas when myself and other people were walking past and noticing that the door was open a bit. So we were just clicking it shut.

“This happened time and again until eventually I reported it to Royal Mail a number of times. Then I spoke to someone at the Leek Road office and they inspected it and said there was a crack in the door. So they took the door off and were ordering a new one.

“That was nine months ago. I’ve chased them and they say Covid has delayed it. If they cannot get a new door, they’ll have to order a new box and get planning permission and that would take months. It’s a farce. It’s a load of rubbish.”

Royal Mail has apologised for any ‘inconvenience’.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We have had to temporarily remove the postbox from service in Newcastle Lane because the door was in an unsafe condition. We are working to repair the box and bring it back in service as soon as possible.

“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this causes our customers. In the meantime, customers can use other boxes in the area or drop off mail at any Post Office branch.”