AN EDINBURGH village has now got a new “robot” postbox as part of Royal Mail’s digital expansion.
Located outside the former post office on Main Street, the new technology allows for small parcels to be sent without having to step inside anywhere.
Earlier this year, Royal Mail announced that it would be introducing digital postboxes as part of a pilot, which allow larger parcels to be accepted “for the first time”.
Balerno Community Council updated residents on the local news on Wednesday.
The council said: “And here we have Balerno’s parcel post box; letters in the slot as usual and parcels in the tray which is opened on a push button basis.
“The pillar box is still outside the old Post Office in Main Street.
“Operation may take some getting used to.
“Seems that to operate you must first scan a bar code on a label which you will have to have printed probably at home; and to do that you’ll need to download the Royal Mail App and follow instructions there.
“So not perhaps entirely straightforward.
“But make sure you have the parcel bar coded before trying to post it in the box.”
The community council has said that parcels with dimensions of 320 x 205 x 120 mm appear to be accepted in the new postbox.
Dr Scott Arthur, MP for Edinburgh South West, reshared the news on social media last night to update locals.
The MP said: “There is a robot post box in Balerno”.
Royal Mail said that the new devices feature a “solar powered scanner”.
The first five new postboxes were piloted around Ware, Hertford and Fowlmere in England, before being introduced across the rest of the UK.
The company confirmed that letters can still be posted through a different gap as normal.