LETTER writers in Burnley and Pendle are being given extra time to pen their prose before they have to catch the post.

New local collection services announced by Royal Mail will extend the time first class mail can be posted and still arrive the following day.

The final collection from many post boxes throughout the area will soon be at 6.30pm, with some town centre boxes having later collections up to 7pm. The last one will be from the main post office in Hargreaves Street, Burnley, at 7.15pm.

All 285 post boxes in the area will carry a notice clearly indicating collection times at the box when the new system comes in.

The man responsible for seeing all goes smoothly is Allan Smith.

He hopes his plan will be more convenient for people at home and in business.

He said: "Later collections will mean that letters completed late in the day, or a birthday card remembered at the last minute, will no longer miss the post."

As well as later collection times, Royal Mail is also planning to make collections more frequently during the day from Monday to Friday so that letters and parcels can reach the automated processing plant at Preston with the minimum delay.

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