Dismay as Royal Mail to ban all bladed items from April

All bladed items will be prohibited by Royal Mail for UK destinations from 22 April 2024. This change is linked to changes to the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, which set out “the offences of delivering bladed products to residential premises, or to persons under 18”. 

The prohibited list covers such things as “sporting equipment with a blade”, which is likely to extend to articles such as ice skates. Other named items on Royal Mail’s banned list include cutlery knives, scissors with sharp edges, cut-throat shaving razors and, of course, all hobby knives. 

Phil Ellwood, managing director of knife and outdoor brand, Whitby & Co, told ST: “As a business that specialises in the sale of knives, we are concerned regarding the recent decision by Royal Mail to discontinue the carriage of blades throughout its mail network. 

“We respectfully urge Royal Mail to reconsider this decision and explore options for accommodating businesses like ours that rely on the transportation of blades for legitimate commercial purposes. We are willing to collaborate with Royal Mail to develop solutions that uphold safety standards, while also supporting the continued operation of businesses within the knife industry.”