Badbury villagers still without a post box three years on

Three years after the only post box in Badbury village was stolen, replaced and then rendered out of use, residents are still left with nowhere to post their letters - and are forced to cross a busy A road.

The saga began when a rare wall-mounted King George V postbox on Horseshoe Way, which was referenced in Badbury's conservation plan, the village's only postbox, was allegedly stolen in 2019. 

The hole was then unsatisfactorily filled in by Royal Mail, who were then given planning permission to replace the stolen postbox with a similar one, which happened in 2021. 

Read: Planning: Royal Mail given go ahead for new village post box

However, the new post box was painted black, marking it not in use, meaning the village was still without a safe means to post mail without having to cross the busy A346 to get to the nearest one. 

Ridgeway ward councillor Gary Sumner and South Swindon MP Robert Buckland began working with locals to get a post box reinstated to the village and this year a new one was installed and was just about to come into use, ending the years-long wait. 

But, this new location, on a small island next to the village's phone box (now a defibrilator), was found to be unsafe, delaying things further. 

A new location near the Downsview Care Centre has now been earmarked for the post box, but residents, who are still unhappy that a piece of the village's heritage has been lost, feel this would be a mistake. 

Adelaide Dunsford, 79, said: "I know the frustration of people that live here. There's been nowhere to post mail so we've had to walk to Chiseldon across Marlborough Road.

"The proposed location isn't convenient for anyone. I feel there's a better place for it on Stocks Close against a wall. If we can’t have it back where it was originally, with our original postbox, because it was listed, that’s the only sensible place."

The proposed location on Stocks Close

A meeting is now being held on May 31 with Royal Mail, Cllr Sumner, Robert Buckland and Badbury residents.

Mr Sumner said: "The residents of Badbury are disadvantaged and have been now for three years. In a world of Instagram and Facebook and emails, there are still some people who rely on not being able to send a letter, those people shouldn’t be ignored."

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are continuing to explore options for a site for a replacement postbox in Badbury, and hope to have an update for residents soon.”