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Royal Mail has unveiled the most significant design transformation in 175 years to its famous red postboxes.
The postal giant is deploying 3,500 solar-powered “postboxes of the future” after a triumphant trial conducted earlier this year.
The revolutionary design will incorporate a barcode scanner that opens a drop-down compartment for parcels.
This system will be fuelled by a solar panel, strategically positioned southward to maximise sunlight exposure.
The innovative design will enable customers to dispatch and return labelled packages up to shoebox dimensions, reports the Mirror.
A dedicated slot for traditional letters will remain available.
Using the Royal Mail app, customers can obtain proof of posting and monitor their deliveries.
These cutting-edge postboxes underwent testing in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire during April and are now being introduced throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland are amongst the initial cities receiving installations.
Royal Mail is simultaneously boosting its parcel point network.
Over 23,500 locations now exist where customers can dispatch, return and retrieve parcels, encompassing 2,000 lockers, 7,500 Collect+ outlets, 11,500 Post Office branches, 1,200 Royal Mail Customer Service Points and 1,400 parcel postboxes.
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.”
(Image: PA)
This follows Royal Mail receiving approval from Ofcom to deliver second class mail on alternate weekdays, rather than six days a week. Second class deliveries will also cease on Saturdays moving forward.
However, despite the reduced service, Royal Mail will maintain its target for second class letters to reach recipients within three working days. First class mail will continue to be delivered six days a week, Monday through Saturday.
At the time, the regulator Ofcom projected that cutting second class delivery frequency would generate savings of between £250million and £425million for Royal Mail.
Beyond cost savings for Royal Mail, Ofcom cited declining letter volumes as justification for the decision. Letter deliveries have plummeted from 20 billion two decades ago to just 6.6 billion today.
