IT'S time to dump Dyfed deliveries and post to Pembrokeshire.

That’s the call from Preseli MP Stephen Crabb, who has spoken in a parliamentary debate on the refusal of the Royal Mail to recognise the county of Pembrokeshire in its database.

Mr Crabb, who called the debate, has long fought for Pembrokeshire to be listed as the county name instead of the former name of Dyfed.

Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File — the complete database of all UK addresses used by companies and organisations all over the UK, still lists the county of Dyfed as the administrative county, even though Dyfed ceased to exist in 1996.

In the debate, Mr Crabb spoke of the long and proud history of Pembrokeshire.

He also highlighted that the issue is not just one of civic pride, but also one that causes real problems for local businesses who are trying to market themselves as Pembrokeshire companies.

The Royal Mail sells on the database to many external companies, and it provides a reference point for satellite navigation, mapping systems and direct marketing. The confusion caused for suppliers, customers and tourists has had real impact on businesses in the area.

The issue has also been brought to Stephen’s attention by the Pembrokeshire Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.

The chairman of Pembrokeshire FSB, Stephen Cole, said: “The issue regarding the Post Office's continued use of the name of Dyfed rather than Pembrokeshire is causing great confusion to our members and to their suppliers, especially where the exact address details are required.”

Mr Crabb has previously written to the Post Office minister and to the chief executive of Royal Mail, asking why they refuse to get the database changed to reflect the current name. Royal Mail responded by claiming that their database only provides routing instructions for post and that the county name is no longer used for this purpose.

But Mr Crabb called for the Royal Mail to catch up after 13 years and sort out what can be easily fixed to the great benefit of local people.

He said: “I was pleased that the minister listened to the debate and appeared to understand the depth of feeling among many Pembrokeshire people and businesses. “However, I am disappointed that he was not more positive about challenging the Royal Mail to correct its database to remove references to the old County of Dyfed. There is currently a consultation on issues concerning the database and I would encourage interested individuals and groups to participate in this consultation.

“It is ridiculous that in 2009 local businesses have to fight so hard to get listed as Pembrokeshire companies on national databases and websites because of the historic fault in the underlying Royal Mail database.”

Have you experienced post problems because of the use of Dyfed?