RESIDENTS of a Gwent village are fighting to change their postcode - claiming it makes their community hard to find.

The village of Penhow had its postcode changed from Newport area (NP6) to Caldicot (NP26) in 1999.

But now locals want this reversed, claiming emergency services and deliveries struggle to find their village.

Sheila James, aged 66, of Seymour Avenue, said she was very concerned about the impact it could have on ambulance crews, which use postcodes to locate call-out addresses.

And she says an incident involving her husband Ken, 66, who has had a triple heart-bypass operation, 18 months ago highlights the seriousness of the situation.

Mrs James said: "He fell ill and needed help. "I was away so a neighbour called an ambulance which read our address as Caldicot and went seven miles up the road.

"It never arrived - the driver got lost and radioed for help and the Royal Gwent Hospital, less than ten minutes away up the A48, had to send a second ambulance. Ken was okay but the story could have had a different ending.

"When Ken went for a subsequent check-up at the Gwent he waited two hours before being told he lived in Monmouthshire and should go to the hospital in Chepstow."

She added: "Newport City Council is our local authority and David Atwell, of Langstone, our ward representative. But computers now show Caldicot to be our home."

Mrs James has so far collected petition signatures from 65 households in Penhow and nearby Llanvaches.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Mail said: "Priority is to ensure the mail is delivered as quickly as possible to all our customers.

"However, in accordance with the code of practice agreed between Royal Mail and Postcom in March 2002, we will consider all requests for amendments to locality information on our postcode address file as long as the quality of service we provide is not compromised."

David Lyden, national control services manager for the Welsh Ambulance Trust, said: "The NP26 postcode covers a vast area and large population but I am confident we can reach an emergency in the village of Penhow should we need to."