Delays have become a “problem” for Royal Mail recently, with new figures showing they are failing to meet delivery targets.
Royal Mail said 91.6% of second-class mail was delivered within three working days, while 77.5% of first-class post was delivered the next working day between September 29 and November 30.
These latest figures are short of the targets set by Ofcom, which are for 93% of first-class post to be delivered the next day and 98.5% of second-class to be delivered within three days.
Royal Mail chief executive Alistair Cochrane said the recent figures mark an improvement on the previous quarter, but recognised the company’s “performance in letters is still not good enough”.
Full list of postcodes affected by Royal Mail delays
Royal Mail has warned customers to expect more delays this week, with 44 postcodes impacted.
The Royal Mail website explains: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week.
“In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors.
“In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers.
“We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
The areas (and postcodes) affected by these latest Royal Mail delivery delays are:
- Ashington (NE22, NE62, NE63, NE64)
- Banbridge (BT32)
- Beverley (HU11, HU17, HU18)
- Brechin (DD9)
- Cardiff (CF5, CF10, CF11, CF24, CF91, CF95, CF99)
- Carterton (OX18)
- Daventry (NN11)
- Egremont (CA21, CA22, CA23, CA24, CA25, CA27)
- Helston (TR12, TR13)
- Kingswood (BS15, BS30)
- Leicester East (LE2, LE5-LE7)
- Lisburn (BT26-BT28)
- Lochgelly (KY5)
- Nantwich (CW5)
- Pontefract (WF7, WF8, WF9, WF11)
- Prenton (CH43)
- Sleaford (NG34)
- Sutton in Ashfield (NG17)
Communication Workers Union (CWU) general secretary Dave Ward said delivery delays have become a “long-term problem” for Royal Mail, caused by a “recruitment crisis” which began back in 2022.
Compensation for delayed delivery
In some cases, Royal Mail may pay compensation to the sender or the addressee of a delayed item.
You may be entitled to compensation in the following circumstances:
- 1st class – your delivery is three or more (six or more if Redirected Mail) working days late after the due date (next working day after posting)
- 2nd class – Three or more working days late (six or more if Redirected Mail) after the due date (3 working days after posting)
- Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm – One or more working day(s) after the due date (on guaranteed date as per product specification)
Compensation will be different for items that are lost or damaged (see the Royal Mail website for more details).
Have you been affected by a delivery delay caused by Royal Mail? Let us know in our poll above or in the comments below.
