Wasps close St Asaph post box

Oct 7 2009

POSTAL chiefs have sealed up a rural post box amid fears that wasps from a nearby nest could sting postmen and customers.

The wasps are already believed to have stung a postman and members of the public.

Royal Mail officials decided enough was enough and blocked the opening until pest control experts could remove the nest.

Resident Claire Douglas says the nest is in a tree stump in a country lane at Cefn Meiriadog near St Asaph.

She says it is also near a phone box and close to a school bus drop-off point.

She said: "It has been sealed up because a postman has been stung. He can’t collect letters with a wasps’ nest nearby."

She added: "I’ve been stung and my husband has been stung. I was stung on my left thumb and my husband was stung through his clothes on his shoulder.

"I want the council to come out to take them away."

Mrs Douglas says her daughter Leah, 11, and her friends now stay away from the area.

The mum contacted Denbighshire County Council pest control department to ask staff to remove the nest.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said it had sealed up the post box.

She said: "We apologise to customers using the wall mounted post box in Cefn Meiriadog for the temporary disruption to the collection service.

"This postbox has been put out of service following the discovery of a nearby wasps’ nest.

"The health and safety of our postmen and women must be our priority and until the nest is removed, we are advising customers to use the nearest post box at the Laundry, Cefn Meiriadog.

"We are in discussion with the local authority to remove the nest and restore the service as quickly as possible."

Denbighshire County Council said its staff had now located and removed the wasps’ nest at Cefn Meiriadog.

A spokesman said: "Our pest control department was contacted on Monday last week and one of our pest control officers was dispatched to the area on Tuesday.

"From the initial instructions we received, our pest control officer was led to believe the nest was in a wall.

"The officer looked for the nest but could not find it. In addition, it was on a day when wasps were not very active due to the weather."

She added: "We received a subsequent call but this time the instructions were that the nest was in a tree stump.

"Our officer returned to the area and was able to locate the nest and it has now been treated.

"The council tries to resolve these situations as quickly as possible to safeguard the public."

Meanwhile, Royal Mail said a postman had been badly stung by a wasp at another nest in a garden at Trefnant, some three miles from Cefn Meiriadog. It happened while the unnamed postie was delivering mail at a customer’s home. in the area shortly before the Cefn Meiriadog nest was found. Royal Mail reported that incident to the local authority too.