ROYAL Mail has defended its use of leaving undelivered mail at "safe drops" following a complaint from a Halsemere trader. Les Stares, from The Gift Boutique in Haslemere High Street, was appalled when he found red pouches of undelivered mail on the edge of the car park of The Georgian House Hotel on Saturday of last week. He told The Herald: "It's a bit disconcerting that supposedly secure mail is just left lying around. There were two bags full of mail including a large parcel sticking out of one of them, left outside a maintenance shed in the car park "The bags were about eight feet apart and just thrown out of a van," he claimed, adding that bags of mail had formerly also been left in front of the doorway of the shed. A spokesman for Royal Mail confirmed that bags had been left at the spot for many years. "Fortunately nothing has ever been stolen," he said. But he continued: "We will remove the bags from The Georgian and find somewhere else for them to go, but certainly not in sight of the general public." The spokesman said that red pouches are left with the permission of owners at various points along the route to allow the postmen and women to get the mail delivered as quickly as possible without the need to go back to delivery offices to reload. "I can't think of another way. We use safe houses where, with people's permission, the bags are left," continued the spokesman. He claimed that efforts to erect special metal pouch boxes next to pillar boxes, which have been allowed in some areas of the country, including places within East Hampshire such as Grayshott, had been turned down on environmental grounds by Waverley Borough Council. "We would prefer to leave the bags in safe and secure premises," added the spokesman. A spokesman for Waverley Borough Council said that erecting the special boxes would require planning permission but that the council had not received a formal application.