A RESIDENT determined to keep Radlett’s delivery office in the village is urging people to come together to fight the decision to shut it down.

Royal Mail announced last year the delivery office in Watling Street would be relocated to Borehamwood to help improve the efficiency of its operations.

A date has still not been set for the move, but one resident is already worrying about the two hour journey he faces to collect undelivered mail when it goes ahead.

Malcolm Bermange, of Medow Mead, said: “If they go to Borehamwood and if I want to go there by public transport there is one bus per hour and I have worked out it will take two hours to get there and back and that is a bit excessive. Royal Mail will save money but to our expense and convenience.”

Mr Bermange, who has lived in Radlett for 45 years, added: “I would like to see people come together and take a stand. If you do nothing then it will happen so I think if you can try and do something then it may do some good.

“We have already lost our fire station and our police station, and these things are all part and parcel of our community.”

Another Radlett resident, Clive Glover, said: “Royal Mail need to consult with residents about their plans and the ideal would be that they could still enable parcels to be picked up locally. The delivery office has been here for a long time and it is something people really rely on.

“There is a great big anonymous bureaucracy out there making decisions that affect local people.”

Royal Mail, who recently transferred Harpenden’s delivery office to St Albans, confirmed there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the move and staff will be reimbursed for any extra mileage incurred by the change of their workplace.

They also said they will notify customers when a date is set, and the leasehold site in Watling Street is set to be handed back to the landlord when it is no longer required.

Royal Mail spokesperson Sally Hopkins said: “We appreciate that this move will impact on customers in the area and our planning activities always give due consideration as to how we can best protect and serve the interest of our customers.

“Almost no other company has daily contact with its customers in the way Royal Mail does and so we wish to continue providing consistent and high-quality services to our customers in Radlett and across the UK.”