People across Norfolk will now be able to have parcels picked up from their doorstep as Royal Mail announced the company’s new offering.

Eastern Daily Press: The Royal Mail depot in Norwich. pic: ArchantThe Royal Mail depot in Norwich. pic: Archant (Image: Archant)

Royal Mail confirmed today that households which have packages they need to send can now do so without leaving home for a 72p charge per parcel.

It was hailed by the postal service as “one of the biggest changes to the daily delivery since the launch of the post box in 1852”.

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Royal Mail has major warehouses across the county such as in Norwich and North Walsham as well as high street branches across including Cromer.

The company has been testing its system in the west of England, but will now roll it out nationwide.

“Royal Mail Parcel Collect is a fantastic step forward for all of our customers. It makes it easier to use our services than ever before,” said Royal Mail chief commercial officer Nick Landon.

Customers will be able to get their parcels collected every day apart from Sundays.

Pre-paid return packages can be collected for 60p per item.

Returns have become an increasingly important market for the postal system in recent years, as online shoppers want the chance to change the items they bought.

Royal Mail has been forced to rely increasingly on parcels, as letters drop in importance with the advent of email. Since 2004 the number of letters it delivers has halved, even before the pandemic.

This year has been particularly harsh. In the three months to the end of June the company delivered 788 million fewer letters than the same period the year before, down 33pc.

The reduction was sped up by Covid-19, but even before the pandemic hit, Royal Mail was expecting a drop of up to 8% in letter volumes during the 12 months to the end of March.

Meanwhile, parcel volumes have increased greatly.

The company has already tried to maximise its presence in the booming parcel market, launching parcel post boxes last year.

The first parcel post service was launched in 1883.