Residents feel 'forgotten' after Royal Mail delays

Postal delays in parts of south London have led some residents to feel abandoned by Royal Mail.

Performance data shows 70% of first-class mail was delivered on time in Croydon and 71% in Sutton, well below the legal target of 93%.

"It feels like we have been completely forgotten," said Anna, a Wallington resident who added that she had gone weeks without any post and felt anxious over potential missed hospital letters and other important correspondence.

Royal Mail attributed those delays to widespread staff sickness and issued a public apology.

Anthony, a Carshalton resident, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he and his wife had to collect urgent post from the sorting office after not receiving mail for over a week.

"They're only dropping off parcels," he said, quoting a Royal Mail driver who claimed staff were told "not to bother with letters right now".

Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver first-class mail within one working day.

Last year, the company failed to meet delivery targets in all London postcodes, and Liberal Democrat MP Bobby Dean said there did not appear to have been any signs of improvement.

Dean, who represents Carshalton and Wallington, described the situation as "completely unacceptable" and said it was clear "Royal Mail is in disarray".

"When I contacted Royal Mail for an explanation, they simply said that they had 'operational issues'. That's not good enough," he said.

"Previous fines have clearly done nothing to change the company's behaviour. Communities across the UK depend on this service, and there is now an urgent need for greater transparency and accountability."

The MP has urged Ofcom, which regulates Royal Mail, to step in and tackle what he said were repeated failures and a lack of transparency from the company.

Residents and businesses in Croydon experienced similar delays of up to two weeks over the last Christmas period due to staffing shortages at Royal Mail's Factory Lane sorting office.

The disruption impacted the delivery of time-sensitive items, including NHS appointment letters and medical prescriptions.

In response to the recent delays, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We acknowledge that our quality of service is not yet where we want it to be, and we're working hard to deliver the standard our customers in Carshalton and Wallington expect."

They added that across the UK, the vast majority of first-class letters still arrived within two days, and that significant drops in letter volumes meant households may no longer receive daily deliveries.

"Delays lasting weeks are not something our local delivery offices are reporting," they said.

"We will contact the local MP to better understand and investigate the concerns raised by residents."

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