Business

Royal Mail brands stamp ‘counterfeit’ but others in same book are ‘genuine’

Published

1 year ago

April 5, 2024

ROYAL MAIL is being urged to investigate its systems after an investigation found some stamps are being deemed “counterfeit” by Royal Mail, while other stamps from the same book are not.

Royal Mail yesterday told ministers it would investigate problems with new barcoded stamps to try and “ascertain the source of the problem” amid fears customers are wrongly being fined to get letters.

A GB News investigation has found innocent people across the UK continue to be charged £5 for “counterfeit” stamps, which they insist were bought at reputable shops and Post Offices.

Since GB News first exposed the issue in January 2024, more readers have contacted us reporting similar problems.

Lorraine Hewitt, 66, was charged £5 for her birthday card due to a “counterfeit” stamp in February, but two other stamps from the same book have arrived at their destination as expected.

The sender says they bought the book of stamps from a well-known supermarket.

Ms Hewitt, from the West Midlands, had assumed she had been sent a parcel when she found a £5 “fee to pay” note from Royal Mail in her letterbox.

She had received all the birthday cards she had anticipated she may get, and, ahead of a birthday dinner with her brother that evening, she took the note to the delivery office.

She said: “I thought, ‘Oh as he’s coming tonight, if he’s got a card, he’ll bring it with him.’

“Because he was taking me out for a meal, I assumed that that was my birthday gift as it were.”

The member of staff showed her the envelope but, not recognising the writing, she decided not to pay the fee.

However, before she left the delivery office, she took a photo of the envelope, which had a yellow sticker branding the stamp “counterfeit” attached.

During the birthday outing, it emerged the card had been from her brother, and it contained a £5 note.

Having bought the book of eight stamps from a reputable supermarket, he decided to send a test letter using another of the stamps.

It arrived without a hitch.

Ms Hewitt’s brother has also since sent his niece some mail using another stamp from the book. Again, the letter arrived as expected.

“It makes you question what criteria they are actually using to determine if something is fraudulent,” the 66-year-old told GB News.

Ms Hewitt, who used to work in Royal Mail’s Returned Letters Branch (RLB), believes because the letter contained cash, it would need to be logged.

“You have to make a note of the item and make a note of the money and store the money or the goods that would be in there,” she said.

Ms Hewitt complained to Royal Mail about the matter and has sent photos of the book of stamps as well as the “counterfeit” label.

She was told that “specialised machines at all our mail centres examined stamps to check if they are genuine or not”.

The email continued: “If a stamp or stamps are deemed not genuine a surcharge is applied and the recipient is asked to pay the fee.

“This gives the recipient the opportunity to receive the item as quickly as possible.”

Ms Hewitt escalated the complaint to the Postal Review Panel, who requested she send the envelope which was surcharged or the stamps being called counterfeit to their Freepost address.

However, Ms Hewitt pointed out she does not have the envelope, as it’s with Royal Mail.

She was later told that while they “appreciate” she forwarded photos of the item and stamps, they “cannot identify if a stamp is counterfeit or not with photographs”.

Ms Hewitt said: “They’ve got the item, they’ve got the stamp, they’ve actually got the fiver.

“All they need to do is find this item in the Returned Letters Branch, find what they’ve done with the fiver, and have a look whether someone’s made a human error with regard to deciding if the stamp was counterfeit, as the other stamps have proved not to be.”

Business

Streetscape improvement funding scheme deadline extended

Published

6 hours ago

May 21, 2025

Tom Sinclair

INTERESTED businesses in eligible towns have until 30th June to apply for a shop frontage grant scheme via the 2025 Shared Prosperity Fund programme.

The new Street Enhancement Scheme is aimed at commercial properties in the town centre zones of Fishguard and Goodwick, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke, Pembroke Dock and Tenby.

Eligible owners and tenants/leaseholders with written consent from the property owner can apply for a grant of 80 per cent, up to a maximum grant value of £24,999, towards to total expenditure of upgrading external facades.

This new grant scheme is an extension to the previous paint scheme enhancement element for commercial properties which is continuing within the town centre zones of the above towns, and for St Davids, Saundersfoot, Narberth, Crymych and Newport.

It has also been successfully delivered in a number of our County’s towns.

The paint scheme enhancement will provide funding for 80% of the costs, up to a maximum grant value of £4,999, towards the repainting of street facing façade(s).

The aim of the grant is to help improve the attractiveness of our town centres and encourage footfall to support businesses.

Eligible works include replacement of signage, window and other building elements replacement or cleaning, external facade repairs and decoration.

This new grant scheme will run alongside the existing paint scheme which will be continuing.

The last date for receipt of applications under this call for projects is 30th June, and works must be able to be completed by 31st October 2025.

No expenditure should be incurred before grant approval, as the grants cannot be awarded retrospectively.

For more information and full scheme guidance see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/uk-shared-prosperity-funding/pembrokeshire-streetscape-enhancement-scheme or via email to [email protected]

Business

White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels’ expansion bid approved

Published

2 days ago

May 19, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to expand the licensed area of a Pembrokeshire community pub, recently hailed as one of the most friendly in Britain, has been given the go-ahead by county planners.

The White Hart Inn in St Dogmaels was ranked second friendliest pub in the UK in a study by security experts Get Licensed, which looked at Tripadvisor reviews and median crime scores around each pub to find the friendliest in the UK.

The 250-year-old White Hart, on Finch Street, reopened as a community pub in 2021 following a campaign after it closed in May 2019, when the last landlords decided to refocus to other activities.

The White Hart Community Inn Ltd was formed as a Community Benefit Society and a community share offer launched with the guidance of the Wales Co-operative Centre.

Two years of fund-raising and campaigning saw enough money raised through individual community shares purchases together with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government via the Social Business Growth Fund administered by Social Investment Cymru at WCVA, alongside a grant from Pembrokeshire County Council.

White Hart Community Inn (St Dogmaels) Ltd had asked Pembrokeshire County Council for permission the expand the licensed premises through a change of use of the former manager’s accommodation, vacant since early 2022.

The application was conditionally approved by planning officers.

This is the second application for works at the White Hart recently.

An application by White Hart Community Inn (St Dogmaels) Ltd to install solar panels at the historic pub was recently granted by Pembrokeshire County Council.

That proposal was backed by St Dogmaels Community Council, which said it “fully supports the application for the installation of photovoltaic panels”.

Receiving the recent Get Licensed award, the White Hart Inn received a top score of five on Tripadvisor, and 66.67 per cent of its reviews highlighted the pub’s ‘friendly’ and ‘welcoming’ atmosphere.

Business

Community campaign launched to secure regional banking hub for South Pembrokeshire

Published

2 days ago

May 19, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

A community campaign has been launched calling for a dedicated banking hub to be set up in Pembroke Dock, following confirmation that yet another bank is to close its doors for good.

The campaign, led by Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Samuel Kurtz, is aimed at providing a banking lifeline for residents currently faced with lengthy journeys to carry out face-to-face meetings at their respective bank or building society.

The latest closure will be Lloyds Bank, Pembroke Dock, which will cease operating on June 26. Other recent closures include Pembroke, Tenby, Saundersfoot, Narberth, Neyland, and Milford Haven.

Samuel Kurtz is now calling on residents, local businesses, and community councils to support his formal request for the creation of a Banking Hub in Pembroke Dock, which is a shared banking facility offering face-to-face services operated by major UK banks.

“This bank closure is a devastating loss for our communities,” Samuel Kurt told The Herald.

“I know that online banking suits most people most of the time, but there are times when speaking to someone face to face is essential. Why should people have to travel miles and miles to enable this to happen?

“The LINK organisation, which assesses banking needs, claims existing ATMs and Post Offices are sufficient. But this doesn’t reflect reality — especially for elderly residents, small businesses, and those who rely on in-person advice and services.”

The most recent LINK assessment was conducted remotely on January, 29, 2025 and concluded that no new banking provision was needed. But Samuel Kurtz MS strongly disputes this.

He claims that essential face-to-face services such as mortgage advice, direct debit management and support of powers of attorney aren’t available at Post Offices, while poor transport links to alternative branches in Haverfordwest make travel costly and inaccessible for many.

Sam Kurtz has now arranged a meeting with LINK to talk through the steps needed to secure a Banking Hub and is urging residents to sign an online petition and submit a review request to LINK.

“With community support, I believe we can make a powerful and evidence-based case for a Banking Hub in Pembroke Dock, ideally based at the existing Lloyds site on Dimond Street,” he said.

“With Pembroke Dock being an important retail hub for South Pembrokeshire, it makes sense for a new banking hub to be located within the town. This is why I’m asking as many people as possible who would like to keep access to banking services in the county to come forward and help make the case to LINK by signing the petition.”