RED rubber bands have been testing our tolerance for months, and now it seems that some have snapped.
The Royal Mail switched to red rubber for the bands it uses around post bundles 18 months ago to make them easier for postmen to spot and pick up when dropped.
The policy seems to have backfired, however, with the easily identifiable bands now littering every pavement. Millions of the 342 million bands used each year by the Royal Mail are being scattered on pavements up and down the country, inspiring a new sub-culture. The Royal Mail told The Times yesterday that its order to posties not to abandon the bands would be reinforced at team briefings, but few believe that it will end the epidemic of