Devon Village Left Without Post as Lane Branded Too Dangerous for Royal Mail

A woman in Devon felt quite annoyed recently. Royal Mail stopped delivering to her village. They worried the road was too dangerous. Val Bennallick, age 62, lives in Essworthy. Essworthy is a small village near Hatherleigh. It sits just north of Dartmoor.

Residents there did not get deliveries for a month. Royal Mail cited a narrow lane as the issue. Val, a retired teacher, and her neighbors lacked mail. This postal pause started back in December. She had to drive 14 miles to Okehampton just to get her mail.

Val said the road was “not good,” but other people still used it. Oil trucks drive there all the time, and tradespeople and workers make the trip, too. Val thinks the postal service is vital, mentioning blood test labels as an example.

Val wrote letters to Royal Mail about this problem, explaining it caused her stress and worry. Even a young, healthy person would feel bad. Val has several health issues herself and dreaded the 14-mile trip, also having to travel for her mail always.

She did not want to lose her postal service. She learned of the change a month later. The service said the road was unsafe, and they were too sorry to tell her earlier, she noted. Royal Mail found a solution for Val and her village.

Ofcom announced plans to change deliveries. Second-class mail might stop on Saturdays. It proposed reducing the service to alternate weekdays. They also suggested lowering Royal Mail’s targets; this happened at the end of last month.

Royal Mail told DevonLive about the issue. They claimed no mail remained for Essworthy’s folks. A spokesperson reported road issues from the local team. They said it was a “poor quality” private road, causing the suspension.

Royal Mail apologized for not telling Mrs. Bennallick. They spoke to her and created a solution. It seems everything has finally been resolved.