OUR post box in Victoria Embankment has a notice stuck on it announcing that with effect from May 15, collections will be at 9am on weekdays and at 7am on Saturdays. I presume we have not been singled out and this change applies elsewhere in Darlington.

It is difficult to imagine a motive for this decision.

Will it save money?

Will it improve service?

Will customers or employees benefit?

Some years ago our postal deliveries, instead of being made at 8.30am, started to be made in the afternoon, nowadays its about 4pm.

More recently, many jobs at our sorting office were transferred to Newcastle, "to improve efficiency".

I think the service provided by Royal Mail is getting worse while the costs of postage have gone through the roof.

Will the next step be to collect and deliver on alternate days?

Malcolm Dunstone, Darlington