Royal Mail announces biggest change to postboxes in 175 years

The change is initially being rolled out across 3,500 postboxes

Royal Mail has given the UK’s iconic red postboxes their biggest redesign in 175 years as their new appearance sees them dubbed “postboxes for the future”.

The new design will see solar panels and parcel scanners added to 3,500 postboxes across the country over the next few months.

A lop-sided topper will be placed on top of the traditional red boxes and contain solar power technology, as the front of the box sees a large drop-down parcel deposit hatch installed, allowing people to scan and dispatch packages without having to use a Post Office.

The move reflects Royal Mail’s need to find new ways to compete with rivals in the delivery market, including private courier delivery services and parcel drop-off lockers, with figures this month revealing the service delivered one in four first-class letters late.

The new postboxes are capable of handling parcels up to the size of a shoebox and the design has been matched to an earlier iteration from the Victorian era, writes The Express.

Customers will be able to scan a barcode via the Royal Mail app to open a drop-down drawer, designed for parcels too big to fit through the traditional slot.

The redesigned boxes also feature a separate slot for letters, as well as a solar panel to power the scanner and drawer.

The postboxes were piloted in April in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire and are now rolling out across the UK.

Cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland will be among the first locations to receive them.

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.”