WOULD you trust a neighbour with your post?

Royal Mail are hoping the answer is yes after announcing a scheme to deliver mail to neighbours if no-one is at home is to be extended across the UK.

The initiative will be rolled out to millions of homes around the country after a three-month trial during which 220,000 items were delivered to an alternative address. 

Of these Royal Mail said there were only two cases where a neighbour claimed not to have signed on behalf of a customer.

The postal group said customers welcomed the convenience of letters and parcels being left at a nearby address if they were not in.

The practice will become widespread from late September, subject to regulatory approval.

Homeowners and neighbours will be included in the scheme unless they registered to opt out.

In most cases it will be up to postal workers to decide which neighbour a letter or package should be left with.

Leaflets will be delivered to 29 million addresses next week explaining how the scheme works.

What do News Shopper readers think? Do you trust the Joneses next door to look after your post? Comment here, tweet us @NewsShopper or e-mail tim.macfarlan@london.newsquest.co.uk