Reason Royal Mail postbox is covered in black plastic

A Derbyshire postbox has been wrapped in black plastic and temporarily closed, sparking mystery as to what could happen next. One of Britain’s iconic red pillar boxes near the Tesco in Gregory’s Way, Belper, has been covered with black pallet wrap and is currently “out of service” – and Royal Mail has confirmed an exciting future for the postbox.

It says an “automated system” is coming soon – but what does this mean? Royal Mail is rolling out 3,500 solar-powered postboxes, which it has described as the “postboxes of the future”, across the UK.

It comes after a succesful pilot earlier this year, with company saying it comes as it continues to find ways “to make sending, returning and collecting parcels more convenient.” A slight change to the design will see a space for a small solar panel on top, and items “as large as a shoebox” will be able to be posted for the first time.

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Customers will also be able to request proof of posting and will be able to track their parcels using the Royal Mail app. A barcode scanner opens a drop-down drawer to place parcels in that are larger than the traditional postbox slot, which will still remain as a separate slot for letters.

The postboxes were piloted in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire back in spring, and are now being rolled out across the country in major city’s such as Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield – as well as little old Belper town.

Jack Clarkson, managing director of out of home and commercial excellence at Royal Mail, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before. This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces.

“There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK. Our message is clear, if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”