Why is my postbox covered in black plastic?

Have you noticed anything different about postboxes near you?

Some have been wrapped in black plastic, prompting users to wonder whether they were being taken down as fewer people send letters.

But instead of being removed, they are going to be upgraded – people will be able to post small parcels there and then without a trip to the post office.

And they are getting solar panels too, to power scanners.

It is part of a UK-wide upgrade that started in 2025.

Seven “postboxes of the future” are in place in Northern Ireland, of 3,500 planned across the UK.

More are on the way, hence the black plastic while postboxes are upgraded.

Royal Mail said it had received positive feedback about the upgrade.

But some passersby in Bangor, County Down, were confused by the black plastic coverings.

“I really don’t know what an automatic postbox is,” said Ralph Boyd.

“Maybe the next one will be better.”

Boyd said he was not notified about the new postbox and didn’t think it would be accessible for people of his age.

“I prefer the older one but let’s give it a chance and see what it does,” he said.

Sid Peacock felt the new upgrades could be a good thing as fewer people post letters.

“Things have to move forward, as much as we get nostalgic about these old boxes, you can’t just keep everything going, can you?” he said.

However, Peacock added that generally “people who use postboxes are writing letters and using stamps”.

BBC NI went to Newtownabbey, County Antrim, where there is a newly upgraded postbox.

Paul Downey thought the idea was good in principle, but when he went to post something, he said the barcode scanner didn’t work.

“I think it would be really handy if it worked every time, but it didn’t. It’s a good idea but whether it works or not is the main thing,” he said.

Downey added that he preferred the older postboxes as he could just drop a letter in and go.

June Sheridan didn’t realise the postbox was there and ended up taking her small parcel into the shop.

“I wish I had a parcel to practise with; it would be really handy,” she said.

“Sometimes there’s quite a big queue and that would’ve saved all the bother.

“In and out, and away you go. So it is perfectly new for me but I haven’t tried it yet.”

When asked whether she thought the postbox was easy to use, she said: “Once you know how to do it, yeah.

“Some of the places have their own indoor scanning machines, you do your own label, so this is going to be exactly the same I would imagine.

“This will absolutely be better for someone like me who’s always in a hurry.”

What exactly is happening with the new postboxes?

The taped up postboxes are part of Royal Mail’s roll out of 3,500 new postboxes across the UK.

There are currently seven upgraded ones in Northern Ireland, and with more to come, postboxes across the country have been taken out of service.

This is because each box is individually measured and the door is taken off and retrofitted.

Royal Mail describes this as their “biggest design change in 175 years”, adding that they hope users will find the new post boxes “useful and convenient”.

The new boxes will have:

• A barcode scanner which opens a drop-down to place shoe-box size parcels

• A solar panel which will power the scanner and drawer

• A separate slot for letters

The turnaround can be several weeks.

Royal Mail said residents can use another nearby postbox or hand stamped letters to their postman or woman.