Residents see red at post box replacement

PLYMOUTH'S historic Barbican is set to lose one of its quaint old-fashioned sights as across the city - and the rest of the country - many of Royal Mail’s iconic red post boxes are being updated with something much more modern.

- By KATIE OBORN

Over 3,000 new pillar boxes are being rolled out nationally, but some Plymothians have said changing the Barbican’s classic red post box on Southside Street is a “crazy decision”. This week, the old-style letterbox has been wrapped in black plastic film, with a sign on it reading “out of service, automated system coming soon”.

The move by Royal Mail is to keep pace with modern times, as the UK's iconic red post boxes get their biggest redesign in 175 years - the new ones are being called “postboxes for the future”.

They will feature solar panels and parcel scanners, as well as allowing people to scan and dispatch their bigger packages without having to go to a Post Office.