by Adam Williams

awilliams@thekmgroup.co.uk

The campaign to save postal delivery offices in Herne Bay and Whitstable gathered pace on Saturday.

Royal Mail plan to close both depots in Eddington Lane, Herne Bay and Cromwell Road, Whitstable and move staff and postal collections to Canterbury’s Military Road depot. Dozens marched along Herne Bay seafront and through the town to voice their opposition in a bid to highlight the effect proposed changes will have on staff and customers.

Earlier, a rally and speeches at the May Lodge Club in Central Parade was attended by Royal Mail staff, trade union representatives and residents like David Shepherd, who helped organise the day.

He said: “I’m coming at this issue as a customer and someone who’s already appalled by the standard of Royal Mail’s service under the current system. At Christmas, I was getting increasingly frustrated by how late post was getting and that was even before I was made aware of the potential changes.”

The 39-year-old, from Clarendon Street, joined forces with Whitstable postman Chris Stone when he heard about the campaign to keep Whitstable’s delivery office open.

He added: “The thought of suddenly having to travel to Canterbury and back to collect my post fills me with dread.

“But I’m an able-bodied person and someone who can drive, there’s others out there who face an even more daunting challenge. Even if you can drive, the Canterbury delivery office is in an area with poor parking and it’s not the easiest place to get to either.

“We need to show how much people value the service now, before it’s too late and gone forever.”

Chris Stone said: “Royal Mail dresses these changes up as modernisation, but it takes a radical redefinition of the English language for them to make sense.

“Lots of money’s been spent on other areas of the business lately at a time when they’re expecting fewer postmen to deliver more mail and travel further to collect it.

“Either Royal Mail’s management are being grossly incompetent or they’re running the company down as a means to an end which we have yet to be made aware of.”

See more pictures and reaction in Thursday's Herne Bay Gazette.