RESIDENTS have been protesting after a postbox which was knocked down in 2021 has yet to be replaced. 

Residents of Minchinhampton gathered on Monday to protest about the loss of a key postbox.

The Dr Brown’s Road postbox is believed to have been knocked over by a horse in late 2021.

Royal Mail removed it shortly afterwards and the box has not been reinstated. 

The group of residents was joined by Minchinhampton’s county councillor, Cllr Chloe Turner, who said: “This well-used post box is very much missed by our community, especially by the many older and less mobile residents who cannot easily reach alternative facilities elsewhere in the parish.

Stroud News and Journal:

Cllr Turner said that other communities have been similarly affected, both locally and across Stroud District.

Boxes have been removed and not replaced in Woodchester, Butterow, Waterley Bottom and Stinchcombe.

On the Royal Mail website it says that where it is possible to do so, the company will provide a four week notification to consumers when they plan to remove or relocate a box.

However, sometimes a four week period is not possible because a significant proportion of removals and relocations are due to events outside of their control - such as when a box is damaged or stolen.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “The box on Dr Brown’s Road, Minchinhampton, had to be removed as it had been knocked down by cattle.

"As cattle continue to roam loose locally, the box could be knocked down again if we reinstalled it at the same site, so we have not done so.

"We have not installed a replacement postbox nearby, as there are already several other postboxes that can be used in the local area.

"We are always very sorry for any inconvenience caused by the removal of a postbox.

"This can become necessary for various reasons, which we list on our website.

"We understand the importance that customers attach to our network of 115,000 postboxes nationwide, and are committed to ensuring that 98 per cent of our customers live within half a mile of a postbox.

"Our website also lists postboxes within half a mile of Woodchester, Butterow, Waterley Bottom and Stinchcombe.”

For information on post box services near you visit - bit.ly/2Xkpv0R

For more details on guidance about postbox removal and relocation visit -  bit.ly/3DgOMAG