RESIDENTS in a Vale village are facing a £30 taxi ride to post a letter after a postbox was closed.

The Royal Mail has closed the box at Bradford Abbas Post Office after the building was privately bought – but has not yet installed a replacement for letter writers.

Previously, a new location was vaunted, by was refused planning permission.

However, as the search goes on, villagers have been left without a way of posting their mail.

Cllr Stephen Hillier, chair of Bradford Abbas Parish Council, said the box was sealed up “against the wishes of villagers” and that the suggested location for a new box was unsuitable, leaving those wishing to find one with the potential of a £30 taxi ride.

“The postbox in question is set in the wall of the Old Post Office building in the centre of the village, which changed hands recently,” he said.

“The occupiers of the building, which no longer operates as a shop and post office, asked Royal Mail to seal up the post box earlier this year.

“Royal Mail, who are not legally required to consult with villagers, proposed erecting a new post box a totally unsuitable location on a narrow no through road.

“The Parish Council objected to this new location and suggested a better alternative and requested a site visit with Royal Mail representatives to discuss options.

“This request has not yet taken place.”

The postbox is from the reign of George V. Picture: Google

He said the closed postbox, which is a GR (George V)-era installation, has been sealed and painted black, leaving around 350 households in the village without a means of posting a letter.

“This action by Royal Mail is perverse, anti-community and hits disadvantaged residents, the elderly, those without cars or other affordable public transport hard at a time of great difficulty in the current economic climate,” Cllr Hillier said.

“On behalf of the parish council and the residents of Bradford Abbas, I demand Royal Mail reverses this action immediately and join in talks with the parish council about the future of postal services in Bradford Abbas.”

However, Royal Mail said it had no option but to close the postbox, which is in a listed building.

“The local Post Office building was privately bought, which the post box is part of,” a spokesperson said.

“The new owner requested the postbox be closed down and due to the premises being a listed building the box has to remain in situ, although it has been taken out of service.

“A new location for a postbox was decided however planning consent was refused. We’re now working to find another suitable location to place the postbox.”