Royal Mail trials postboxes for small parcels

It is hoped the new postboxes will support people selling secondhand items

A new postbox that can take small parcels is being trialled by Royal Mail.

Four boxes have been placed in the Hertfordshire towns of Letchworth Garden City, Ware and Hertford - with a fifth available in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire.

The solar-powered postboxes will support the increasing numbers of people selling second-hand items, such as clothing, online.

Royal Mail chief executive, Emma Gilthorpe, said the move was an "historic change" that would give "our iconic postboxes a new lease of life".

Users scan their parcels using a scanner on the postbox which is powered by solar panels

Customers use the new postboxes by scanning a bar code on the parcel and dropping it into a drawer - all powered by small solar panels on the top of the box.

An update to the Royal Mail app allows users to send parcels and request proof of posting.

Previously the company only accepted parcels small enough to fit through a letterbox.

Ms Gilthorpe said: "In making this historic change to our postboxes, our goal is to maximise choice and convenience for our customers.

"In an era where letter volumes continue to decline and parcels are booming, we are giving our iconic postboxes a new lease of life on street corners across the nation."

Five new postboxes are being piloted with four in Hertfordshire and one in Cambridgeshire