Royal Mail has warned of service delays affecting more than 100 UK postcodes as severe weather and staff sickness hit deliveries. The postal firm said 38 delivery offices were experiencing disruption on Monday, with storms and higher-than-usual absence levels causing the problems.
A Royal Mail spokesman explained that «adverse weather, including storms Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra in January, alongside higher-than-usual sick absence, has caused some short-term disruption to certain routes». The company pledged to deploy extra support to affected routes to «restore deliveries as quickly as possible».
The disruption comes as Royal Mail faces mounting complaints about delayed mail. The company reassured customers: «We want to reassure customers that the vast majority of mail is delivered as planned and understand how frustrating it is when post does not arrive as expected.»
Parcels prioritized over letters
The delays have intensified existing concerns about Royal Mail's service. A BBC report revealed that letters are being held in some delivery offices for weeks, causing people to miss urgent appointment notices and bank statements.
Anonymous postal workers told the BBC that parcels are being prioritized over letters, including first-class mail, in some depots. Staff shortages are broadly impacting service. Royal Mail may clear parcels first if they accumulate quickly and block walkways in delivery offices.
Service changes on hold
Royal Mail operates nearly two million postcodes across its network and is required to deliver six days a week. Last year, regulator Ofcom approved the company's proposal to eliminate Saturday second-class letter deliveries and modify the service to every other weekday.
The firm launched a pilot program for these changes across 35 delivery offices, but a nationwide rollout to all 1,200 sites has not occurred. Royal Mail remains in a month-long dispute resolution process with the Communication Workers Union over how service overhauls will affect the workforce.
The postal firm faces increased parcel volumes due to online shopping growth, while the number of addressed letters continues to decline.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
