Skip to content

'Postbox of the future' arrives in city

Lindsey Alderin Worcester
News imageBBC A bald man in a black jumper stands to the left of a red postbox. The postbox had a solar panel on top, a letter slot and a metal pull down drawer. Behind them is a hedge and brick pillar to the right.BBC
Councillor Alex Mace said the new postbox was really convenient for locals

A post box which was being used as a bin by walkers in Worcester city centre has now been revamped to allow people to send parcels.

The red pillar box on Barbourne Road opposite Gheluvelt Park had been taped off for six months with black plastic, until residents reported that it was being used to dump litter.

Now it has been refurbished, with a solar panel on top which powers an electronic drawer from which parcels can be sent.

Royal Mail said the "postbox of the future" offered a convenient way for customers in Worcester to access its services.

News imageA red postbox in front of a brick wall and hedge. It has a pull down metal drawer, a letter slot and a solar panel on top.
The revamped postbox opposite Gheluvelt Park allows the sending of parcels

Green Party councillor for St Stephen ward, Alex Mace, told the BBC a resident had flagged that it was being used wrongly.

"They closed off the postbox in November 2025 and we had a resident raise it with my colleague Neil Laurenson that the plastic they'd draped it in had all been broken and people had started putting some rubbish in there.

"Neil raised it with Royal Mail, and they thankfully came and installed the new equipment soon after."

He added that he thought it would be really convenient to use: "People are selling a lot of things on eBay and Vinted these days and it's perfect for that kind of thing, because you can just pop around the corner and put your small parcels in there now.

He added: "I know people have raised concerns that it's taking business away from the post office... We still need to see them available for people because they're really important for access to services."

News imageA man stands in front of a busy road with houses and shops. He has brown hair, a beard and is wearing a blue coat with a hood.
Local resident Matthew says he prefers sending parcels in person at a Post Office

The BBC asked people walking near the postbox whether they would use it.

One local resident, Matthew, said: " I'd rather go somewhere where I could give my parcel to somebody, a human being, and then I know it's safe, especially with everything going missing in the postal system".

But others told us it was a really good idea to be able to send parcels locally, that it was in a good location and would save time over driving into town and parking.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "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 this one just as useful and convenient."

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.