ULSTER servicemen and women based overseas will be able to continue to avail of a subsidised postal service, it has emerged.
The Ministry of Defence has announced it is to maintain British Force Post Offices (BFPO) in 12 locations across mainland Europe after originally earmarking their closure for next year.
BFPO delivers parcels and letters to Service personnel and th
eir families wherever they are in the world. Senders normally pay the UK inland postal rates and the difference is met by the Ministry of Defence.
It is estimated 24 million items a year pass through the system, which is also currently providing a service to troops in Afghanistan.
Concerned troops and their families, including Royal Irish Regiment personnel, vented their anger at the initial closure plans through a petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The online petition has already gained almost 30,000 signatories on the PM's official website.
Former soldier in the UDR, Michael Copeland, welcomed the u-turn on the postal issue.
"I would welcome the fact that the MoD has bowed to the pressure and feelings of the British public. The proposal should never have been brought forward, but now it has been abandoned, I like others will feel a degree of contentment," the UUP councillor said.
Mr Copeland described BFPO as an "institution" within the Army which allows economic communication between British servicemen.
"Only this week I received a request to assemble parcels for the Irish Guards who are shortly to be deployed in Afghanistan," he added.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: "Families, federations and others have brought to our attention a number of potential impacts associated with the proposed closures of 12 British Forces Post Offices (BFPO). As a result, we have decided to maintain a BFPO service to these locations. They will retain their BFPO numbers so that personnel can continue to send and receive mail and access UK based services such as internet banking and online shopping."
