Solar-powered postboxes to be rolled out across Banbury as part of major upgrade
Several postboxes around Banbury will be fitted with solar panels and digital features as part of the Royal Mail's upgrade plans.
The ‘postboxes of the future’ project will see around 3,500 postboxes upgraded across the UK.
As part of the redesign plans, the new postboxes will feature solar panels, a scanner and a drawer where people can send small parcels.
It is considered to be the biggest redesign change for the classic red Royal Mail postboxes in 175 years.
In Banbury, postboxes at Horton View and Hanwell Fields have both been confirmed for the upgrades.
The two postboxes are currently taped over with black plastic, ready for the installation of the solar panel and parcel drawer in the coming weeks.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our postboxes of the future will offer another convenient way for customers in Banbury to access Royal Mail's services, alongside home delivery and collection, our Customer Service Points, Post Office branches, lockers and Royal Mail Shops.
“We’re pleased to see positive feedback from customers in areas where the postboxes have already been introduced, and we hope that local residents will find them just as useful and convenient.”
Alongside the new features, the upgraded postboxes will also contain a separate slot where people can post letters as normal.
Royal Mail has stated that each upgrade can take several weeks, as each postbox is individually measured before the door is removed and replaced with a new one.
The boxes have been wrapped in black plastic to protect them from the weather and vandalism during the upgrade.
People can use the Royal Mail’s Service’s Near You page to find their nearest working postbox.
Jack Clarkson, managing director of out of home and commercial excellence at Royal Mail, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.
"This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces.
“There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK. Our message is clear: if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox, and we’ll do the rest.”