BOSSES at Royal Mail have apologised for taking two and a half years to replace a post box in Lostock.

The old box in Kilworth Drive, was destroyed when it was hit by a vehicle back in November 2015, and left residents with a one-mile trek to mail items.

Resident Jack Walton of Milverton Close, was among people living in the area who tried to get Royal Mail to fit a new box.

He said: “The postbox was demolished in a road traffic accident two and a half years ago, which meant a half-mile walk downhill, which was okay, but then the same distance uphill, which was a bit of a pain for elderly residents.

“I wrote to Royal Mail at the beginning of 2016 and eventually got a response which stated they would not be reinstating the post box and we gave up bothering any further.

“That was until one of the residents spoke with Bolton West MP Chris Green in the summer of that year and he agreed to help our campaign to get a new replacement.”

Mr Green told The Bolton News that after speaking with the resident he had sent a letter to Royal Mail on July 1, 2016 requesting they replace the box.

He explained: “This has been a long-running saga and I am pleased that, after two years of me asking, the Royal Mail have finally replaced this post box.

“I’m not entirely sure why it has taken so long, but I know that residents are pleased to finally get it back – even if it did take two years.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Unfortunately, in this case, a change of personnel and miscommunication in our collection department led to the delay in this post box being installed.

“We apologise to customers for the length of time this has taken and we have ensured that our procedures have been updated so that this shouldn’t happen again.

“Normal timescales for installing a box are around three to four months as we need to seek permissions from local authorities and undertake surveys of the area.”

The new box was open for mail from June 1.