Sun-powered postboxes with an extra-large slot for parcels are being trialled by way of Royal Mail.
The company says it’s the greatest exchange to the design of the pink postbox since its creation greater than 175 years in the past.
5 postboxes are lately being piloted – one in Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire, and 4 in Hertfordshire, in Letchworth, Hertford, and two in Ware.
They’ve been retrofitted with sun panels, which energy a digital camera this is used to scan a barcode at the parcel. That opens a separate chute for the bundle to be dropped in.
Symbol: A digital camera scans a barcode at the parcel and opens a chute 
Symbol: Royal Mail says it’s the greatest design exchange to the postbox in over 175 years
Letters can nonetheless be posted in the standard means thru a separate opening. Evidence of posting may be to be had by means of an app.
Royal Mail mentioned it’s responding to the emerging approval for on-line marketplaces, the place other folks can promote undesirable pieces, in addition to consumers sending returns.
Largest exchange in 175 years
Royal Mail says it’s making the most important design exchange because the postbox used to be offered greater than 175 years in the past. However what’s the historical past of the well-known pink field?
1852: 4 solid iron pillar packing containers had been first trialled in Jersey, however consistent with The Postal Museum they had been first of all inexperienced, now not pink
1853: Pillar packing containers started to appear in Britain, even if there used to be no set design
1859: Postboxes turned into standardised in a bigger dimension for top quantity spaces and narrower for in other places
1874: The fairway packing containers began being painted pink, as other folks complained that they had problem discovering them
Thirties: Some blue packing containers for airmail letters had been put in – however those did not final and had been repainted pink for usual mail by way of 1939
2012: British Olympic gold medal winners had postboxes painted gold of their hometowns
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Recently, postboxes – of which there are 115,000 in the United Kingdom – are in a position to simply accept small parcels.
However Royal Mail mentioned in a observation that “1000’s might be tailored to the brand new design to simply accept better parcels”.
Emma Gilthorpe, Royal Mail’s leader government, described the improve as a “historical exchange to our postboxes”.
“In an generation the place letter volumes proceed to say no and parcels are booming, we’re giving our iconic postboxes a brand new rent of existence on side road corners around the country.”
Commenting at the industry case for the upgrades, Royal Mail informed Sky Information: “It is sensible to utilise them [postboxes] to make sending parcels extra handy and make our postboxes extra helpful for the trendy Royal Mail buyer.”
