CONCERNS have been raised over postal delays in Colchester this Christmas.
Residents across the city have been complaining about delayed post deliveries since March.
A Parsons Heath resident claimed it has been “three weeks” since they received post from Royal Mail.
They directed anger towards the “once brilliant service”, saying it is “not fit for purpose”, expressing concerns ahead of the Christmas period.
“It needs a complete overhaul”, they said.
“If they are short of workers, you have to make the job attractive. They used to employ students during the Christmas period.
“Is it worth sending cards this year or will they get them in time for Christmas 2024?”
Colchester councillor Martin Goss also aired concerns about the Royal Mail issues ahead of Christmas.
Mr Goss, who raised the issue to bosses back in March, said “nothing has changed or improved”.
“It is arguably getting worse which is not good with Christmas approaching", he said.
Royal Mail previously told the Gazette recent issues at its Colchester office are due to staff shortages and sickness.
On top of Christmas cards and parcels, postal issues are also affecting other documents.
The resident also told the Gazette how their son is waiting on “very important mail”.
They said: “He runs an electrical contracting service and is very concerned because his mail, which comes to our house, will contain tax letters from HMRC, invoices from suppliers and postal payments from his customers.
“I have been told the postal workers have been told only parcels are to be delivered, but no letters.
“What kind of service is this?”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Our teams are working extremely hard to ensure a consistent and reliable service to households in Colchester this Christmas.
“We can confirm mail is being delivered to homes daily with the majority arriving on time.
"If a delay occurs, such as when a route is not completed, we will prioritise that area to ensure any delays are kept to a minimum.
“To support our staff and meet demand, we have recruited up to 16,000 seasonal workers, increased our vehicle numbers and boosted our operational capacity with extra parcel sorting sites.
“We are committed to delivering Christmas for our customers.”