Saturday - August 02, 2008

Post deliveries stopped because road ‘too dangerous’ .

Talk about outrageous.  I wish the Telegraph would show the photo in their online edition.  There isn’t anything dangerous here. Except the dumb thinking of a few idiots who seem determined to continue doing all they can to screw up this country.
OK, so 11 homes isn’t like the big city. Not even a sizable village. But still.  If they’ve been getting mail with no problems since ‘45, what’s the problem now?

I think I’m still upset since they closed our local PO.

Residents in a remote Yorkshire Dales hamlet face a 45 minute trip to collect their post because Royal Mail says the access road is too dangerous for its postmen.
By Paul Stokes
Last Updated: 3:44PM BST 01 Aug 2008

The lane to the 11 homes has been deemed as “an accident waiting to happen” in the company’s health and safety assessment.

It claims the track is in such a condition that postmen could suffer “long-term back injury” by travelling down it.

So it has stopped deliveries after more than 60 years and families living there now face a 30-mile trip to the nearest sorting office to collect their post.

The road to Booze, in Arkengarthdale, is one of thousands of similar single track roads across the Dales and only has a low gradient of one in five, or 20 per cent.

(you’re gonna have fun with that one aren’t ya?)

Hazel Harker, a farmer’s wife, whose family have lived in Booze since 1945, said: “The whole hamlet is in uproar about it. It is a council road and we have always had deliveries by the mail van.

“I know it is steep and I know it is narrow, but there are lots of little roads like that. You just have to drive carefully.

“I drive up and down the road in a normal car and have had no problems. There have been no accidents on that hill, I know because I have lived here most of my life.”

Locals were given 24 hours notice of the last post in a letter explaining deliveries through the door were being suspended.

Despite its name, Booze has no pub, shops, post office or other amenities.

Daniel Child, a planning consultant who works from his home there, said: “If I can’t rely on the postal service I don’t see how I can continue to work.

“This is a real blow to the rural economy which is already suffering. What business is going to come and set up here if they can’t even be sure they’ll get their post.”

The withdrawal of the service was announced to residents by Colin Appleby, the delivery office manager, with no prior consultation.

He wrote: “A health and safety risk assessment has confirmed that the level of risk associated with this delivery is unacceptable due to an unsuitable track.

“The condition of the track could contribute to longer-term back injury with out employee.

“Under the circumstances, mail deliveries to your address will be suspended from tomorrow and your address will be classed as one which does not receive the normal daily delivery to the door for health and safety reasons.”

The people of Booze have been given the offer of having their mail temporarily delivered to a different address otherwise they face a 30 mile round trip to collect if from the sorting office at Richmond, North Yorks.

Arrangements are being made for roadside boxes to be provided nearer their home as permanent delivery points.

John Blackie, local Tory councillor, said: “It is a council maintained road, there are four passing places. It is perfectly safe and we even grit it in the winter.

“I am very concerned now how many other similarly small villages could be hit by a post ban with no warning. This sort of ban could rip the heart out of communities such as Booze.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Because of concerns raised by our postmen and women, a health and safety assessment was carried out, as it concluded that there was a risk to our people delivering to a small number of homes in Arkengarthdale alternative arrangements for delivering the post have now been made.”

http://tinyurl.com/6nf4dt

Posted by Drew458     on 08/02/2008 at 12:17 PM   
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