Village stripped of last facility

Russell Claydon

A VILLAGE which was stripped of its pub, school, post office and village shop has now had its post box removed.

Residents of Burstall, near Ipswich, are now expected to travel four miles to post their letters after Post Office bosses failed to replace their old post box.

Elderly residents with no transport are also relying on postmen to collect their mail from their doors, it has emerged.

One angry pensioner last night declared the village has been left “faceless” by the series of cuts to its services.

The only post box which served Burstall was removed last month, following a request from the former postmistress who no longer wished to have the community facility in her garden.

John Swarman, a pensioner from Orchard Lands in the village, said he could not understand why Post Office bosses had not found another suitable location for the box before removing it.

“To be quite honest I think it is a bit sad,” he said. “They lost the school and pub back in the 60s and now the post office and village shop, and for the post box to go it is a little bit silly.

“There is nothing - that is it. We are a dormant village now and left faceless, with just a village hall.”

He added: “I would have thought Post Office could have found another site for it before they demolished the one outside the former postmistress' house.

“Everybody is going to struggle as it was so convenient, but the elderly population who have no transport are the ones it will really hit - they are having to rely on the good nature of the postman to collect their mail.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We do intend to replace the post box in Burstall as we want to make it as easy as possible for residents of the village to post their mail, and we are currently working with the local council to find a suitable location.”

Burstall hit the headlines in February for taking the unusual step of holding a wake for their axed post office branch, which had served the community for 134 years.