The new pillars feature a digitally activated drop-down drawer for parcels up to shoebox size, opened by scanning a barcode on the Royal Mail app. They also include a separate letter slot, with proof of posting and parcel tracking available via the app.

First trialled in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, the boxes will now be installed in cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland. Powered by solar panels, the design reflects the surge in online shopping and second-hand marketplace trading.

Royal Mail currently has 115,000 postboxes and more than 23,500 parcel points nationwide, including lockers, Collect+ stores, Post Office branches, customer service points and parcel postboxes. The rollout aims to make posting, collecting and returning parcels as convenient as possible in the face of growing competition from private couriers.