I NOTED the recent letter from a reader questioning the purpose of our priority postboxes. I am very happy to enlighten.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we have been supporting the Government’s testing programme as part of its ongoing efforts to protect people’s heath and help manage the impact of the virus.

As part of this programme, anyone who receives a home testing kit will be asked to post their sample in one of our specially selected Royal Mail priority postboxes which number over 30,000 across the UK in total. All priority postboxes have a distinguishable sticker highlighting their priority status.

Royal Mail is proud to be a key partner for the Government’s coronavirus testing programme, including the priority postbox network and providing home collections of testing kits across the UK. We have also worked in close partnership with the Chief Medical Officer to ensure that the process is safe for customers and our colleagues, a key priority for us.

The details of where to find the nearest priority postbox are provided by the NHS upon requesting the testing kit. People will also be able to find their nearest postbox on the Royal Mail app, the Royal Mail website or they can call 03452668038. The line will be open 08:30 to 17:00 Monday to Friday.

David Gold

Director of Public Affairs & Policy

Royal Mail