Why is it now when you get a postal order thats crossed ( seeing as they wont issue them non crossed anymore ) it takes 5 days to clear into your account

I thought the idea of a postal order was so it was instant cash, Barclays have now started taking 5 days to cash them

Totally defeats the object in the first place, its cheaper to send a cheque seeing as they now take the same amount of time to clear

Anyone shed any light?

Sarah