LYDNEY residents were given a surprise recently as the Forest MP delivered their post.

Mark Harper joined postman Tim El-Shawk on a morning delivery around the town as well as popping in to the Lydney delivery office.

The purpose of the visit was to find out more about the challenges that postmen and women face on a daily basis as they provide a full service, six days a week.

Mr Harper said: "I was grateful to Tim for allowing me to accompany him on a busy round. I made sure I was helpful and enjoyed hand-delivering post to a number of my constituents.

"It was interesting to hear about the challenges facing Royal Mail and they are clearly evolving into a business that now actually delivers fewer letters, but more and more parcels.

"Postmen and women perform an incredibly important role in communities all over my constituency, not just delivering mail, but being a familiar face for many residents. The team in Lydney are no exception and are doing a great job.

"I wanted to get a real understanding of the work that goes into delivering the mail on a daily basis. Tim gave me a real insight into what it means to be a postman working for Royal Mail and I thoroughly enjoyed my morning as a postie!"