Royal Mail has released yet another delivery disruption update for postcodes right across the UK. The postal service has faced criticism over its delayed deliveries amid the rising cost of stamps.
Just this week, its billionaire owner, Daniel Kretinsky, told MPs: “Of course I am deeply sorry for any letters that arrive late.” However, he denied Royal Mail’s track record for letters arriving late was deteriorating. During his grilling by the Commons Business select committee, Mr Kretinsky said: “It is not perfect, but it is not catastrophic.”
The firm was handed a £21million fine last October for missing First and Second Class delivery targets in its last financial year.
Just 77% of First Class mail and 92.5% of Second Class were delivered on time in its 2024-25 financial year – short of its respective 93% and 98.5% targets, reports the Mirror.
As of Thursday, March 26, delays have affected numerous regions of the UK, including Birmingham, Luton and Whitechapel. Currently, 21 delivery offices are experiencing delays, which is having a knock-on effect on 44 postcode areas.
Royal Mail said: “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.”
Over the past 24 hours, Royal Mail’s road and air network operated according to schedule. However, there was a problem at Manchester Mail Centre.
Some mail posted in the BL, M, OL and SK postcode areas were for delivery today in other parts of the UK.
