Wem lose postcode battle over Shrewsbury addresses

Campaigners in Wem have lost their battle to have Shrewsbury removed from the town's postal addresses, it was revealed today.

Royal Mail bosses said they had no intention of making changes to their system – in which all letters for Wem include Shrewsbury in their address – despite residents complaining post regularly goes missing.

The town council wrote to Royal Mail detailing the problems and called for changes to be made. But their plea was today turned down.

In a letter to the town council, Joann Doyle, address management unit advisor at the Royal Mail, said it would not be removing Shrewsbury from Wem addresses.

The letter said: "As Shrewsbury is the post town we will not delete it from the postal addresses.

"Royal Mail circulates mail by way of a post town, usually the main town in the area, and recognises changes to post towns affect a large number of addresses and therefore have implications for many householders and businesses."

Councillors claim a lot of people outside the area thought Wem was a part of Shrewsbury rather than being a separate town nine miles away.

Councillor Peggy Carson, of Wem Town Council, said: "We have received a letter from Royal Mail who said they have no intention of making the changes to the address. I think that's wrong. Lots of people's mail has been getting lost and going to the wrong addresses in Shrewsbury.

"Town councillors have received lots of reports of this happening from people in the town.

"Ellesmere is in north Shropshire and has Shropshire on its address, but Wem has Shrewsbury. This is wrong because Wem is a town in its own right.

"Despite the letter I don't think the town council will let it drop."

Councillors are due to discuss the response from Royal Mail at their town council meeting on Thursday in Edinburgh House at 7.15pm.