Royal Mail deems garden too overgrown for post delivery

A furious pensioner has not received a letter for four months because his garden is too overgrown. Royal Mail bosses fear a postman could slip on the grass or be scratched by an overgrown bush.

But retired banker Kenneth Payne, 66, who has lived in his bungalow in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, for 25 years slammed the ruling as "health and safety gone mad".



He said: "My letter box is perfectly accessible. I take offence at their gross impertinence. As long as they can get to the letter box, it's none of their business." Royal Mail sent a letter on August 24 reading: "Staff are experiencing difficulties delivering to your address due to overgrown shrubs and sightings of vermin."

Kenneth, who refuses to trim his hedges and denies there are any vermin, said: "If they could get to the door to deliver the letter telling me my service was suspended, clearly it's accessible." A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are looking for an acceptable resolution to this issue."