Residents of Parkwood Road, Duke Street and Brook Street in Tavistock have expressed upset about post boxes on Parkwood Road and Brook Street having earlier final collection times introduced.

This change, which came into force on Monday, sees the earliest final collection time for both post boxes now take place ‘no earlier’ than 9am Monday to Friday and 7am on Saturdays, with the last advertised collection time for the post box on Parkwood Road as 4.15pm Monday to Friday and 12pm on Saturdays. For the post box on Brook Street, it is 4pm Monday to Friday and 12.45pm on Saturdays. A later collection is made from the post box at Tavistock Post Office at 5.30pm on a weekday and 1.15pm on a Saturday.

New stickers on both post boxes read that reviews to mail collection arrangements were being made ‘in order to improve efficiency’.

Following an enquiry from the Times seeking clarification, Royal Mail said: ‘If you want your item to definitely be collected from either of these post boxes on the same day that you’ve posted it, then you have to post it by 9am on a weekday or by 7am on a Saturday. If you post it after that time, then the last collection for the day might already have taken place.’

Some residents are now worried that such changes will deter use of these post boxes, which could lead to them being put out of action all together.

Judith Davies, a resident of Parkwood Road who frequently uses these post boxes, said: ‘One is unlikely to be able to post an item on the day it is written, thus adding an extra day to the time the letter is in transit. Given the large population of Parkwood Road, which contains several blocks of flats, some sheltered housing and homes with disabled residents, adding the extra distance for people to take items to the post office for the 5.30pm collection will be impossible for some.

‘We are told that this change is to ‘improve efficiency’ — that is all very well but what about customers with restricted mobility who cannot walk to the post office?

‘The outcome is likely to be that no one will post letters in a box emptied at 9am and then we will be told that these boxes are redundant; what’s efficient for them is disadvantageous for us. This feels like another deteriorating service in the town.’

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: ‘These changes are happening because of our collection on delivery initiative.

‘A significant decline in letter volumes means that many post boxes no longer cover their costs and contain very few items of mail.

‘Rather than decommission uneconomic low-use post boxes, the mail collection from these post boxes will be carried out by the local postman/woman on their delivery route at a time dependent on where the box is located on that route.

‘This will typically be between 9am and 3pm in urban and suburban areas on Monday to Friday, and no earlier than 7am on a Saturday.

‘Later timed postboxes are normally located at post offices and our Royal Mail offices.’