“The vast majority of mail is being delivered safely and on time”, Royal Mail said this week amid continuing concern that people in the Congleton area were waiting weeks for their post and packages to arrive.
The Chronicle first reported in November of the growing concerns about the delays, which had led to hospital appointments being missed while medical testing kits failed to turn up.
At the time, Royal Mail said it was addressing sickness absence and resourcing issues “as quickly as possible” and that it aimed to deliver to all addresses it had mail for six days a week.
As Christmas approached and delays continued, people were urged to write to Royal Mail’s bosses, by this time dubbed “royal snail” by some, about their concerns as items such as concert tickets arrived after the performance had taken place.
But delays continued as Royal Mail announced on Tuesday that it was axing around 700 management jobs as part of an ongoing restructuring programme that would save around £40m and simplify operational structures.
A Royal Mail spokesperson told the Chronicle on Monday that self-isolation due to covid was still one of the reasons causing delays to deliveries.
They said: “The vast majority of mail is delivered safely and on time. We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for six days a week.
“In the local area, we are experiencing some delays to service due to high levels of sickness absence, covid related self-isolation and resourcing issues.
“We apologise to any customers who may have experienced delays to their mail. We have been working hard to get our levels of service back to normal as soon as possible.”
Anyone who has concerns over the delivery of their mail can call the Royal Mail customer service team on 03457 740 740 or visit royalmail.com.
Regulator Ofcom has said it may impose fines where services have fallen short.
