VILLAGERS are furious at the loss of a post box which was at the heart of their community for over 100 years.

The box at Stinchcombe was opposite St Cyr’s church until last October, when it fell over after it was hit by a car.

It was subsequently removed by Royal Mail.

“At first we understood, via our postwoman, that it would be replaced,” said parish councillor Kath Hudson.

But with no sign of this happening, residents have now begun to fear that a new box will never be installed.

Royal Mail, however, insists a replacement is on the cards.

District councillor Ken Tucker said: “It is bizarre that when the support post was damaged, the post box opposite St Cyr’s Church was simply taken away and then not replaced.

“Despite a post box being here for over a 100 years, Royal Mail are now claiming that there is no need for one in this location, as others at The Street in Stinchcombe and at Crossroads, at Blanchworth meet the statutory requirements.”

Dissatisfaction with the way that Royal Mail has handled individual complaints has led residents to submit a community complaint, complete with their own survey.

In the survey, people reported that as well as the inconvenience of not being able to post letters close to home, they missed the social aspect of using the box too.

This was particularly important to some of the older residents of Stinchcombe Manor care home, who used to enjoy the short walk to the box.

It provided a purposeful trip out in the fresh air, and allowed them to stay in touch with friends and family. They say they now feel a loss of independence in having now to rely on others to post their mail.

Cllr Hudson added that following the removal of the box at St Cyr’s, Royal Mail is now not meeting its regulatory requirements of service provision in the area.

Cllr Catherine Braun, said, “I applaud Stinchcombe Parish Council and the local community for their work to get the post box reinstated near St Cyr’s Church.

"I fully support the campaign and have myself written to Royal Mail to emphasise the importance of maintaining this important postal collection service in the village.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “The postbox in question was situated on private land, and was removed on request of a new land owner.

“We are currently researching replacement location options, and it is a priority for us to get a new one in place as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, customers are able to use the postbox on Association Way.”