Protest letters are security risk

Locals filled eleven bags with letters against the planned closure

Thousands of letters that were hand-delivered to Derbyshire County Council were not opened for a week because they were considered a risk.

The letters were protesting at the closure of Stoney Middleton school.

Stoney Middleton villagers were upset because the letters were not opened in time for a council meeting.

Derbyshire county councillor Alan Charles said the letters on the school closure would be considered before the end of public consultation.

Exceptional volume

Mr Charles said the quantity of letters - more than 9,000 were handed in - caused the delay in opening them.

We live in an age where.. someone might have done something daft Alan Charles, county councillor

"We have never received this volume of mail before - but we will draw up a policy to handle this in the future," he said.

Protestors took eleven bin bags, stuffed with letters of objection to the closure of the school, to County Hall in Matlock.

Mr Charles said the letters were not opened because "we live in an age where... someone might have done something daft and put something in a letter".

He said the primary concern was the safety of council workers and they wanted to be absolutely certain they were safe.

The letters had not been inspected by Royal Mail because they were hand-delivered.

It took two members of staff two hours to open them.

The letters were finally opened after the council spoke to Royal Mail about the best way to do so safely.