Royal Mail closes Cornwall postbox after 'snails eat mail'

Two postboxes have been closed in the village within days Credit: BPM Media

Residents in a Cornish town feared its mail would be cut off after two of its postboxes were sealed off for unusual reasons, including 'snails eating the post'.

A Marazion business owner closed two postboxes - the first closure being because of the positioning of a metal pole.

Despite remaining open since the pole was installed last March, the Royal Mail postbox was closed without warning earlier this month.

After receiving a complaint about the closure, Royal Mail said it had to be closed for health and safety reasons because staff could no longer get to the box to retrieve mail.

A postbox in Marazion has been taped up and closed because a post has been erected in front of it. Credit: BPM Media

A town councillor claimed that in a century the postbox has never been closed.

Cllr Richard Stokoe said it was "beyond baffling". "Nobody can work out how there is any health and safety issues with an extra pole being sort of nearbyish," he said.

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

Business owners Liz and Charlotte, who run nearby tea room Copper Spoon, made a complaint to Royal Mail due to the closure impacting their business.

To their surprise just days later, a second post box was closed in the village. Also sealed up, the post box has a note on it which reads 'TEMP CLOSURE SNAILS EATING MAIL'.

In response to their complaint, Royal Mail said the initial post box was sealed over health and safety concerns as a pole was erected in front of it. It said it hoped to resolve the issue within 25 weeks.

A staff member for Royal Mail said: "I'm sorry to learn that one of our post boxes is currently sealed and I appreciate the inconvenience caused.

"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."