Residents baffled as Olympic gold postbox blocked

A new Royal Mail parcel box has been placed in front of a celebratory Olympics gold postbox, leaving residents frustrated with where it has been put.

The postbox in Alcester, Warwickshire, was painted to mark Nick Skelton's gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and residents told the BBC they want it restored to prominence urgently.

Royal Mail said the new box would increase choice for customers, but councillor Tom Ballinger called for it to move to a "more suitable" location, highlighting the postbox's significance to the area.

"It symbolises something very special for the town: that we have someone who lives in the area that was part of those games," he said.

Ballinger said he was working with the MP for Stratford-on-Avon, Manuela Perteghella, to request action from Royal Mail.

In a letter to the postal service, Perteghella formally requested the red box be moved, saying that "Alcester residents and councillors are deeply concerned by the situation, and I urge Royal Mail to address it promptly."

Perteghella recognised in the letter that Royal Mail has permitted development rights, a legal exemption that allows it to install postboxes without prior approval, but said neither she nor the Stratford-on-Avon District Council had been consulted.

Nick Skelton, who lives in the town, won team jumping gold at the London Games before winning the individual jumping title at Rio 2016.

Residents said the gold postbox was a source of local pride, and they could not understand why the new parcel box was placed so close to it.

"The postbox has got a lot of meaning for the local people, and it's a real shame that it has been covered up," said Laurie-Mo Gullachsen.

"I think a bit more thought should have been put into this, and if they could listen to the community's wishes for it to be moved, I think they should," she added.

Her view was echoed by social media posts describing it as "yet more clutter blocking the pavement" and saying "it could have been put somewhere more discreet".

"It's a bit of an eyesore for such a lovely part of Alcester, having that for Nick Skelton being a gold medallist. It's a shame it's distracting from such a lovely part of the high street," Matthew Stanley told the BBC.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: "We're giving our customers even more convenient ways to access our services.

"Traditional postboxes, such as the Olympic gold postbox on Alcester High Street, can be used for letters and smaller items, while our new parcel postboxes make it easy to send and return larger parcels.

"We're pleased to see positive feedback in areas where parcel postboxes have already been introduced and hope local residents find this one just as useful."

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