ROYAL MAIL is making its biggest change to postboxes in its 175-year history, it has announced.
The company is to roll out thousands of solar-powered “postboxes of the future” around the country, which will also allow customers to post bigger parcels.
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They will feature a digital drop-down drawer, so people can send parcels as large as a shoebox without having to go to the Post Office.
Customers will need to scan a barcode on the Royal Mail app to open the drawer, which is designed for parcels too large to fit through the traditional slot.
The redesigned boxes will also have a separate slot for letters, as well as a solar panel to power the scanner and drawer technology.
Customers will be able to see their proof of posting and track their parcel at the Royal Mail app.
The company said it had introduced the changes as Brits are sending and returning parcels more than ever before thanks to the boom in online shopping in recent years.
The new postbox design was trialled in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire earlier this year, and will now be installed in cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland.
Royal Mail managing director of out of home and commercial excellence Jack Clarkson said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.
“This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces.
“There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK.
“Our message is clear, if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”
Royal Mail said the rollout is part of its drive to make posting, collecting and returning parcels as convenient as possible.
Alongside its home delivery and collection services, the company said there are now more than 23,500 parcel points across the UK, including lockers, Collect+ stores, Post Office branches, Royal Mail customer service points and existing parcel postboxes.
It comes after Royal Mail announced this week it was temporarily suspending sending parcels to the US from August 26, as it prepares to bring in new rules to deal with a change to tariff rules by Donald Trump.
The US President decided to axe the tax exemption on low-value parcels coming into the country.
From August 29, packages worth more than $100 (£74) will be charged tariffs.
Any packages worth less than $100 will remain duty-free.
The new taxes will also only apply to goods bought and sold, and not to those sent between family and friends.
Royal Mail said it was suspending deliveries to the US and launching a new service for shipping, which would be available from Thursday, August 28.
The company is to add a 50p handling charge for each commercial parcel to cover the costs associated with providing clearance services into the US.
Separately, Royal Mail announced last month that it would start delivering second class letters on alternate weekdays rather than Saturdays, in an effort to cut costs.
It was one of a series of changes made by Royal Mail this year.
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