Customers who use a newly launched popular private postal service in Wisbech are being reminded that they cannot use the stamps in Royal Mail boxes.
Brian Webb’s Leverington-based private postal service has proved so popular that the businessman running it has described it as going “absolutely mental”.
It has also created such interest across the region that a Cambridge University student has offered to redesign the stamps as part of an art and design project.
Three items of mail, however, have ended up in the Royal Mail sorting office prompting a reminder to only use the Webbs stamps with Webbs vans.
Brian Webb said: “It has gone absolutely mental busy. I didn’t expect this rush on it. It is saving businesses a fortune.
“It’s going to go mad at Christmas.”
One business has saved nearly £30 in one week by sending almost 100 items via Webbs post, which costs 30p a stamp, half the cost of Royal Mail, he said.
To use the service people must sign up to newspaper or magazine deliveries from Webbs and their post is then taken when the newspapers are delivered.
Already nine new customers have signed up to the newspaper round so they can use the postal service.
Mr Webb, said: “We know a lot of local people prefer to use the post rather than go online, and we have proved a lot of local businesses will be attracted by our great value for money service.”
Deliveries are made to Wisbech and 19 surrounding villages stretching from Tydd Gote To Sutton St James and Emneth.
Customers buy a strip of 10 Webbs stamps at a time and text the store to ask for mail to be collected during their usual newspaper delivery rounds.
Next day delivery is guaranteed and includes Sundays.
This is only the second service of its kind in the country, the first being in the Somerset town of Wellington, and with 46 delivery runs it is one of the largest HND newsagents in the country.
Mr Webb has been instrumental in setting up the Home News Delivery Affiliation, a national body working to protect home news delivery at a time when the news trade is facing tough competition on-line.
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