A FRUSTRATED pensioner says his postman has not been ringing his bell when delivering parcels, leaving him empty-handed even though he was in when he called.

Brian Hunt, vice-chairman of the Worcestershire Pensioners Action Group, says the postman has put the red 'something for you' slip through his letter box three times in the last fortnight. On every occasion Mr Hunt says he was in to receive the parcels but the postman had not bothered to ring the doorbell or knock on the door to check whether he was there.

Mr Hunt, who lives in a block of flats in Lansdowne Rise, Worcester, says he then has to go to collect his mail at the deport in Wainwright Road, Warndon Villages, to pick up the parcel. Mr Hunt even had a special A4 sized letterbox installed to make it easier to receive mail, including small parcels so he is mystified as to what is causing the problem.

He said: "The postman didn't even knock or ring. I looked down and there was one of the cards on the floor saying the parcel needed to be signed for. The slip nearly landed on my feet. When I opened door he had the parcel in his hand and it would have gone through the letterbox anyway. We have a bell here that nearly blows you out of the flat. He said 'I rang the bell'. I said 'no you didn't'. I pressed it to show how loud it was. He was almost apologetic." He believes, judging by the queues at the depot, that this is happening more and more and said he would like to know why.

"You could tell the people (at the depot) were not really happy bunnies. People are not getting the service they have paid for. We have in the past been used to a good service from Royal Mail. I have never had problems before. Just think about people who don't have transport. There isn't a bus service that runs up there (to the depot). It's out of town. It's awkward even to drive there to be honest. This has happened to me now three times in the last fortnight. I'm not pointing the finger at the postman. I don't know why this is happening. My question is 'why?' If there is some kind of disagreement the public has a right to know. The postmen should also be mindful it takes older people longer to answer their doors."

Royal Mail spokesperson Viktor Tsvetanov said: "We are concerned to hear of this customer's experience with his mail at a block of flats at Lansdowne Rise, Worcester. Households are responsible for allowing us access to their properties to deliver the mail but nevertheless we have spoken to the postman who delivers there to be vigilant when trying to contact recipients of mail at this multi-occupancy building. If customers have concerns about their mail, we would advise them to contact Royal Mail Customer Services on 03457 740740.”