A POSTAL union last night hit out over Royal Mail plans to collect letters just once a day from rural Welsh boxes. Up to 1,600 post boxes in the country lanes of North Wales could be affected by the proposals. Last night the scheme was described as "another nail in the coffin of rural communities" by the Communication Workers Union. It fears postal jobs will be cut and is calling for the Royal Mail review to be scrapped. But the company says it must be more efficient, and some rural boxes only get one or two letters a day. Under its plans, mail will be collected from pedestal post boxes once a day, any time after 9am and before 4pm. North Wales and Chester manager Ian Johnston said they are looking "only at those boxes where there is evidence of little or no significant customer usage". "Royal Mail has no plans to phase out rural postboxes in North west Wales, or any other part of Wales," he added.. And he promised customers would be told before changes are made. The union says the changes would be disastrous for elderly people and businesses in rural areas and would also have a massive impact on members earnings. CWU spokesman Terry Hughes said: "The majority of these rural boxes currently receive two collections per day. Our branch feels that if these changes were implemented they would have a detrimental effect on the quality of service within the Chester and North Wales rural areas." The union is now lobbying MPs and AMs in a bid to get the plans blocked. Royal Mail spokeswoman Val Bodden said: "We are going to some boxes two or three times a day to collect one item of mail. We are looking at pedestal boxes in rural lanes and not boxes in villages." Plaid Cymru economic spokesperson in North Wales, Eurig Wyn, also wants Royal Mail to reconsider its plans. Mr Wyn, standing in Ynys Môn at the next general election, said: "I am concerned this cost-cutting exercise will again further hasten the demise of rural communities." | 
