Snail mail hits Cornish town after molluscs keep eating the post | UK News

A town in Cornwall feared its mail would be cut off after its postboxes kept being sealed off.

Residents of Marazion, near Penzance, complained to Royal Mail after two boxes were closed within days of one another.

One postbox really did deliver snail mail after the slot was covered and a note appeared on it reading: ‘Temp closure snails eating mail.’

And just a few days earlier another had shut after a metal telecommunications pole was installed by Open Reach near the box.

Locals have called the closures ‘daft’ and ‘inconvenient’ after Royal Mail said the new pole blocked the box.

Town councillor Richard Stokoe called the decision ‘health and safety gone mad’ and ‘beyond baffling’, claiming the postbox can still be easily accessed.

‘Nobody can work out how there is any health and safety issues with an extra pole being sort of nearby-ish,’ he said.

‘If someone can get in to seal it all up then it must be fine to empty the bloody thing as well.

‘Two World Wars and Covid didn’t stop it from being shut, but a telephone pole further away than an existing one has ended its never-ending ability to be open for business 24/7.’

Liz and Charlotte, the owners of nearby tea room Copper Spoon, made a complaint to Royal Mail saying the closure had impacted their business.

The postal service said it hoped to resolve the issue within 25 weeks.

A statement from Royal Mail said: ‘I’m sorry to learn that one of our post boxes is currently sealed and I appreciate the inconvenience caused. I’ve therefore reported the details to the relevant collections planning manager to resolve this issue.

‘The manager has advised that the post box has been sealed due to health and safety concerns, as a pole has been erected in front of the box. As a result, we have been unable to fully access the box to ensure mail can be collected.

‘Additionally, the manager will investigate with the relevant maintenance team to ensure the necessary work is carried out.

‘Regrettably, we’re unable to provide a specific timeframe for this work to be completed; however, we do aim to resolve issues of this nature within 25 weeks.

‘Thanks for taking the time to contact us about this matter and I hope you’ll accept my apologies, once again, for any upset we may have caused.