Postmen should work in teams and have alarmed vans, a politician has claimed.
Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet in Kent, spoke out after a delivery driver was hospitalised in the county last week.
The man was taken to hospital with facial injuries after his van was stolen in Herne Bay on Friday.
“It cannot be right that high-value goods are carried in unprotected vans by men and women working alone,” North Thanet MP Roger Gale told the BBC.
“The Royal Mail must ensure that vans are protected and alarmed, and that staff work in teams and not alone.”
The postman was badly beaten by two men and left lying injured on the pavement. The van was later found abandoned.
“He was resilient but in a shocking condition,” said Gale. “Thank God he is alive and will recover. The outcome could have been tragically different.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said the safety of its people was paramount and that security was monitored regularly.
Strike by postal workers hits Staffordshire
Meanwhile, Christmas post is set to be hit by a strike involving 800 postal workers in 11 delivery offices across Staffordshire.
The industrial action is about changing jobs from full-time to part-time when they become vacant, the BBC reports.
Unions claim the changes breach a national agreement.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “No one is being forced to change from full-time to part-time roles.
“When a vacancy occurs we, together with the unions, review work levels and discuss what is the most appropriate role for that post whether that should be part-time or full-time.”
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