'Totally unacceptable': Village still missing post boxes months after theft
Village left without post boxes for months after thieves strike
Residents of a rural village in Wakefield have been left without a post box after they were stolen from a rural village in Wakefield.
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Royal Mail has yet to replace two boxes in Woolley since thieves removed them in March.
The area’s MP Jade Botterill this week met with senior representatives from the service after describing the situation as “totally unacceptable.”
Woolley resident Richard Dixon said he had made multiple requests for the boxes to be replaced since he reported them missing earlier this year.
He said: “This is a rural community with a lot of elderly people who rely heavily on the service. It is a disgrace that people have been left without a post box for so long.
“People have had to travel two miles to Notton Post Office just to send letters.”
Mr Dixon said he reported the thefts to Royal Mail on March 8 after the boxes were removed from The Green and Barnsley Road the previous evening.
“It is also a health and safety issue because it looks like an angle grinder has been used to remove them.
“All that’s left are two stumps with sharp edges. The one on The Green is next to a children’s play park and could cause someone to get a nasty cut.”
Ms Botterill, MP for Ossett and Denby Dale, said she had requested an urgent meeting with Royal Mail and had been told a “timeline had been set out” to get them replace.
She said: “It is completely unacceptable that the people of Wooley have been left without post boxes for several months.
“Royal Mail has now informed me that postmen and women delivering to addresses in in Woolley are happy to collect mail directly from residents.
“Rural communities depend on reliable post. I’m pleased that Royal Mail is now acting to resolve the situation but residents should not have to fight this hard to have a basic service restored.”
The Local Democracy Reporting has contacted Royal Mail for comment on three occasions since March but has yet to receive a response.