Delivery driver banned from route after 'taking wife to hospital'

Keith Welsh and his woman Sharon. (Image: Keith Welsh / SWNS)

Keith Welsh, 61, was near gutted erstwhile the transportation institution told him helium would nary longer beryllium capable to screen Walderslade, Wigmore and Boxley successful Kent.

He claims helium was taken disconnected his way due to the fact that helium took woman Sharon, 65, to infirmary erstwhile helium should person been working.

Evri told him earlier this period helium would nary longer beryllium capable to enactment successful his aged country - and would alternatively beryllium reduced to covering wide shifts arsenic and erstwhile they came up.

It was past that the assemblage Keith served successful Kent rallied and launched a petition calling for him to beryllium reinstated - which attracted much than 58,000 signatures.

Yesterday (Tues) Evri said it had spoken to the operator and it would beryllium offering him a caller way - which is person to his home.

Reacting to the news, Keith, from Leysdown, Kent, said: "It is astonishing really. I person done this occupation for 9 years truthful I cognize a batch of radical - but present they are coming from everywhere.

"I person been speechmaking each the comments and they are truthful nice.

"My customers person been truly bully to me.

"It is due to the fact that of each of you that I person my occupation back. This has 110 per cent happened due to the fact that of the petition and each the support."

Keith Welsh (Image: Keith Welsh / SWNS)

Keith is simply a self-employed courier for Evri, which means helium tin acceptable his ain docket but needs to marque definite a definite country is covered.

His woman Sharon had 2 strokes successful November past year, and has had to be a fig of follow-up appointments astatine St Thomas' Hospital successful London - which helium has taken her to.

But helium says aft turning up to enactment earlier this month, aft a infirmary visit, helium was told his rounds were being taken distant for him.

He said: “I spoke to 2 large managers 3 weeks agone and they said it would beryllium alright for maine to instrumentality it off.

“After my woman had the strokes past twelvemonth I told them I would request to instrumentality clip disconnected to instrumentality her to appointments which they said would beryllium okay.

“But erstwhile I went successful the adjacent time they told maine they were taking my rounds disconnected maine due to the fact that I had gone to the hospital.

“My wife, due to the fact that she’s had strokes, her encephalon doesn’t relation capable and she doesn’t registry everything.

“If I wasn’t with her she wouldn’t marque it to the hospital. I’m her carer and she needs idiosyncratic with her."

Evri told the worker they would connection him screen enactment alternatively - but Keith says successful the 3 weeks since helium ne'er heard thing back.

A petition was past launched October 4 connected Change.org, which said "dependable and friendly" Keith was "unjustly fto spell from his occupation for a compassionate enactment of taking his woman to the hospital".

Now, astir 3 weeks aboriginal and helium has been offered an wholly caller acceptable of rounds - which are person to his home.

Mr Welsh is not definite precisely wherever the caller way volition cover, but helium has been told it is successful Sittingbourne, Kent.

The transportation operator says helium believes this telephone was down to the “hundreds” of supportive messages from radical crossed Medway who he’s got to cognize implicit the years.

Neil Relf, who has had his parcels delivered by Keith for 8 years, said: “There’s been a batch of outcry since everyone recovered retired what happened.

“After that agelong of idiosyncratic delivering your parcels you get to cognize them truthful I was alert that his woman was unwell and that helium needed to instrumentality her to an appointment.

“I don’t cognize him connected a idiosyncratic level but helium works successful each sorts of conditions – successful the upwind and the rain. He’s portion of the assemblage and he’s a superb guy.”

Keith says that helium has nary regrets, and is highly thankful to his customers for each their emotion and support.

He added: “I person perfectly superb customers and I’ve known them for years.”

"The customers person done each this for me. One of them acceptable up the petition for me.

"I would bash the aforesaid again. That's my wife, if she needs to spell to the infirmary past I volition beryllium there."

The operator has reluctantly accepted the caller rounds to supply for his family, and is hoping sharing his communicative volition halt the aforesaid happening to others.

He said: “I didn’t truly privation to spell backmost to Evri, but it is simply a occupation isn’t it.

“They could bash this again. I request to stock my communicative oregon they volition conscionable bash the aforesaid adjacent week."

Evri connected the different manus claims it had been flexible with Keith “on aggregate occasions” implicit the past year-and-a-half which drove them to springiness his circular to a “reliable courier”.

An Evri spokesperson said: "We volition ever enactment couriers balancing household beingness and enactment commitments and we've supported Mr Welsh by offering flexibility implicit a play of 18 months.

"We present 99 per cent of parcels connected clip and the reliability of our couriers is indispensable to support this level of work and physique spot successful the communities being served.

"Our requirements for rounds bash alteration successful enactment with work needs and we person offered Mr Welsh a prime of rounds successful the section area.

"We’re truly pleased that helium has accepted this and invited his continued service.”