WITH VIDEO: Parcel deliveries have been halted after two vans caught fire in the Royal Mail’s city centre depot this morning.
Smoke was seen billowing from the North Road depot at about 10.30am this morning.
Since then, Brighton and Hove News understands vans have been unable to load parcels for delivery. Only packages on vans already out of the depot are currently able to be delivered.
A postman, who wished not to be named, said at 11.10am: “The fire is out but we aren’t being let back in yet.
“It’s a van in the garage. I don’t know how bad it is.”
#Brighton #RoyalMail depot on fire. pic.twitter.com/cVeSGZldrh
— Brad Glen Voices (@bradglenvoices) September 6, 2024
A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue said: “Crews were called to a fire at a Royal Mail Office, in North Road, Brighton, at 10.17am this morning.
“Three appliances attended, following reports of a van fire. Firefighters used breathing apparatus and two main jets to tackle the fire, which is now out.
“The building was evacuated. Please avoid the area.”
A spokeswoman for Royal Mail said: “All staff are safe and no mail is damaged, but there may be some disruption to deliveries and collections today and tomorrow due to some vehicles being damaged.”
Yet another reason they need to crack on and get the patcham depot built. The vehicles are well past their operational life, which is half the reason they want a new depot. So they can replace the entire fleet with electric.
Royal Mail have neglected this building since they moved staff to Gatwick decades ago – the shocking way they have treated staff and let this building crumble leaves me with no confidence they’ll look after the site in Patcham – despite the risks to the city’s water supply if they don’t.
Is it not the responsibility of the water company to protect the water supply? Anyway, the concern was about sewage flooding?
Oh well that’s all right then. There’ll only be a few electric vans which spontaneously combust!
Nimbys revenge.
Did anyone spot anyone scattering in the direction of Patcham?