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Royal Mail deliveries have been halted in a coastal village after postal workers were compelled to take drastic measures. The posties in question have undergone repeated attacks by aggressive seagulls dive-bombing them, necessitating action, reports Birmingham Live.
Residents of Wright Close in Caister, Norfolk, are now required to collect their post from the local depot or arrange for delivery to an alternative address. One villager, Marion Gibbs, 75, recounted her own encounter: “I was out walking and a gull hit me on the head.”
The Chair of Caister Parish Council, Kevin Wood, has shared his experiences too: “I get dive-bombed when I’m walking my dogs. I put an umbrella up. People sometimes put spikes on their roofs, but that doesn’t work.” He expressed a common feeling of helplessness within the community: “It happens all over Caister. There’s nothing we can do.”
A spokesperson for Royal Mail commented on the avian issue: “The activities of seagulls in the area is, at times, making it difficult for our postmen and women to safely deliver to some addresses.”
While challenges persist, Royal Mail ensures they’re still endeavouring to make deliveries. Residents have been given options to redirect their mail or pick it up from the delivery office. In related news, Royal Mail has received approval to discontinue Saturday deliveries of second-class post starting July 28 in a sweeping reform of the service.
Additionally, second-class post will be delivered on alternate weekdays. Despite the cutback in service, Ofcom, the communications regulator, has maintained that there should be a three working-day delivery target for second-class letters. Ofcom initially unveiled plans to reduce the number of days for second class post in January this year, with the proposals being ratified today.
The regulator projected at the time that cutting back on second class deliveries could save Royal Mail between £250 million and £425 million. The volume of letters delivered to UK households has also plummeted from 20 billion two decades ago, to 6.6 billion.
Royal Mail has been penalised over £16 million in the past 18 months due to missed delivery targets and subpar performance. First class post will continue to be delivered from Monday to Saturday.
