“A load of old cobblers?”

I was speaking to a friend who works in the pub trade a couple of days ago when he mentioned that his company may enforce the use of plastic pint glasses full-time in his fine establishment. Apparently it is down to safety. As a landlord of the traditional kind, he was livid: “What’s next?” he quipped, “We will eventually have to pour the beer into people’s cupped hands!” And he’s got a point. Has ‘Health and Safety’ gone mad?

After the recent cold snap brought snow to many parts in the UK, tens of thousands of workers just surrendered. Bins were left un-emptied, and post was left undelivered. Was this necessary?

So we come to a story has made the national press this week: Royal Mail has told postmen they do not have to deliver to homes on cobbled streets in bad weather, because rain makes them too “dangerous”, barked the Daily Telegraph.

A woman from Devon claimed that her regular postman “refuses to walk less than 20 yards along the path to her home even in good weather, and instead dumps mail with a neighbour at the top of the road.”

When I asked Royal Mail to comment, I was told: “The road is in a poor state of repair and when wet or icy it can become dangerous. There are occasions when we have not been able to make deliveries and alternative arrangements have been made. We are in contact with residents and continue to seek a solution with them.”

My conclusion: Utter cobblers.

Is this verging on the ridiculous? Is the postman in question, or indeed Royal Mail, being a little over cautious? I want to hear your views, so please comment below…