Mail told to come clean over sorting office

Members are demanding showdown talks after it emerged the Wem sorting office could be merged with Shrewsbury.

They have renewed their call for Royal Mail to attend a meeting for crunch talks.

Councillor Chris Mellings last night said: "They (Royal Mail) have flannelled us and fobbed us off for too long so let's get them over here for a meeting."

Councillor Peggy Carson said she had been bombarded with complaints about the postal service in Wem.

She said: "I've had many complaints that people are getting their post in parts of town as late as 2pm.

"It's not the fault of the postmen because they're working harder and harder and I feel sorry for them."

The future of Wem's sorting office has hung in the balance since Royal Mail confirmed a feasibility study into the transfer of work from Wem to Shrewsbury had taken place.

This year the operator has shut sorting offices in Ellesmere and Church Stretton and merging them with others.

It has blamed "a competitive postal market" for sparking the shake-up.

In a letter to the council, Royal Mail delivery sector manager Richard Moulton, said: "This is part of a lengthy process which is still in its very early stages and I would stress that no decision on the future of the unit will be made until this is complete.

"In the event of a move we would expect no detriment to the delivery service we offer our customers."

Mr Moulton's letter added that there would be no compulsory redundancies should Wem sorting office close.