One resident said they find it ‘completely unacceptable’
Residents said it is “deeply concerning” that their post has not been delivered in weeks, after experiencing similar delays earlier this year. People who live in the Hampton area of Peterborough claim they have not had post delivered for weeks, with some claiming they haven’t received any letters in more than a month.
As a result of the delay, people said they are missing important letters such as birthday cards and medical appointments. Sheila White, who has not received post in around two weeks, said she finds the delays “deeply concerning” and “completely unacceptable”.
She added: “I was waiting for important insurance documents, which I ended up having to contact the company to ensure continuity of the cover. In the UK, we have always had a reliable postal service upon which many people depend.
“Elderly people who can’t manage or cope with technology are now isolated and unable to rely on receiving relevant communications by post, which means they are potentially missing medical or other significant information and appointments.”
Sheila’s husband also did not receive a Father’s Day card from his daughter, which left him feeling “forgotten and sad”. Sheila added: “The excuse of lack of staff is utterly irrelevant. It’s their responsibility to deliver the service they are supposed to provide.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said it recognises how “important reliable deliveries are”, when people are waiting for letters such as for medical appointments. They added: “We are delivering mail in Hampton. However, some deliveries have recently been affected by short-term local issues, including sickness absence.
“We are working to return the service to normal and clear any outstanding mail as quickly as possible, with items not delivered that day prioritised for the next working day.”
Phil Abbott, who lives in Hampton Vale, said he hasn’t received post in around five weeks. Due to the delay, he has missed “important medical appointments, business mail, birthday cards and bills to pay”. He said: “I think it’s absolutely disgraceful and a dereliction of contracted duties by Royal Mail.”
Phil said he believes there needs to be an improvement in communication from Royal Mail. He said: “Don’t just leave people hanging with no information. What are they doing to resolve the issue and what will they do to prevent it happening again?”
The last time Margaret Matthews received any post was around three weeks ago. She said she has missed insurance documents and believes the lack of post could affect elderly people who cannot access to the internet.
She said: “I’m 75 and quite computer savvy, and use them no problem. There are people who can’t because they have never used computers.”
Margaret believes there needs to be more regulation in place for the Royal Mail, as people pay for a “service”. She added: “Because it’s regulated, why are they not doing anything about it?
“It’s not just Peterborough, it’s nationwide. Surely they should be held to account for their responsibilities? They have got to get their staffing levels right.”
Kelvin Cowell said that after a couple of weeks with no post, he received a large load in one go. He said: “[This included] a new bank card, pin number, online banking details and a card reader for a new account, all of which were sent on different dates by the bank.
“Equally annoyingly, none of the post was recent, so who knows when that’ll start to turn up? It’s all well and good advising people to go to the sorting office and collect, but their hours aren’t great for those that work. We are paying for a delivery service and they’re clearly not meeting their commitments.”
Donna Spriggs hasn’t received letters in “up to four weeks”. She said: “When they did come, there was important mail that arrived late.
“[I have no] idea why we are not getting post regularly. They are saying we can collect from the sorting office, which we shouldn’t have to do and not everybody has transport.”
Samantha Mclennan is also frustrated that she hasn’t received post for “weeks and weeks”. She said: “I had to call them [Royal Mail] around two weeks ago as I was waiting on important hospital letters and important HMRC letters.
“They delivered approximately 15 letters about a week later, following my call. Some of the letters were dated May, and I’ve not received any post since then.”
The Royal Mail spokesperson said that it is “rare” for post to be delayed by a month or more. They added: “A delay of a month would be exceptionally unusual and would suggest an issue with an individual item rather than the wider service. Our latest performance shows that more than 92% of letters are delivered on time and over 99% within a week, meaning longer delays are rare.”
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