Royal Mail postal deliveries severely disrupted in Andover

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ANDOVER residents are facing significant disruptions in their postal deliveries, with mail arriving late or not at all, as Royal Mail confirms vacancy issues within the delivery office.

Frustrated residents have raised concerns about the impact of these lapses on their daily lives, including missed medical appointments, delayed communications, and mounting inconvenience.

Chris Walters, a resident of Berry Way in Burghclere Down, expressed his disappointment.

He said: "Since our postal route was made a 'lapsed' route, our deliveries have gotten later and later. As of Tuesday, June 27, we have had no delivery since Saturday, June 17. That delivery was all our mail for the whole week since the previous Monday, June 12, when we received all our mail for the week commencing June 5.

“My wife and I are pensioners, and our mail is often time-sensitive and relates to medical appointments. It also includes our weekly TV magazine."

Terry Whenman, another resident of Andover, shared his frustration and said: "The postal service in Andover is increasingly not a service at all. Deliveries are, at best, intermittent, with post arriving late or not at all.

“I personally have not received any mail for almost two weeks, and then when I do receive it, it's up to a dozen pieces of mail in one hit, usually on a Thursday. To compound this, I recently had an important letter from Basingstoke hospital on May 25, informing me I had an appointment on May 22, which I obviously missed. The hospital was not happy."

Ray Phillips, a local business owner, added: "One of the businesses, on the same plot as mine, was told that we are all no longer on a dedicated route and we'll see post when we see it.

“In the last two weeks or so, my business has only had two deliveries in the last seven working days, the second of which only brought in one letter for us which is below average, making me think some might have been lost as it mounts up in the meantime."

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In response to the grievances, a Royal Mail spokesperson acknowledged the delays and expressed regret to the affected residents.

The spokesperson said: "We are sorry to residents who have experienced delays in the Andover area. Improving our quality of service is our top priority, and we are committed to restoring service levels to where our customers expect them to be."

They said the disruptions are due to recent vacancy issues at the local delivery office.

They continued: “There has been some disruption to deliveries within the area, however every day, efforts are taken locally to ensure these delays are kept to a minimum, and those who do not receive their mail are prioritised the next day.

"At the local delivery office, there have been recent issues with vacancies. We are actively recruiting to fill these gaps and have also brought in additional casual workers to help with the current demand.

"Across our business, we have plans in place to drive service levels and reduce absence at our delivery offices, we hope and expect to see further progress in the coming months."