Thousands of Rotherham residents have gone without post for as long as two weeks.
Royal Mail is missing deliveries in the S25 and S26 postcodes of South Yorkshire over an unspecified issue.
The two postcodes cover Dinnington, North Anston, South Anston, Kiveton Park, Wales, Aston and Swallownest, and many smaller villages in between.
However, former MP for Rother Valley Alexander Stafford today has stated in a Facebook post is is aware of areas in S66’s Maltby, Wickersley and Thurcroft are also missing deliveries.
Mr Stafford wrote: “...I know some residents have resorted to going to the sorting office to collect their mail. This is neither acceptable or viable for most people and there are too many stories of people missing important mail.”
Royal Mail has been contacted for a comment.
Incumbent MP for Rother Valley Jake Richards said in a statement: “Residents in Dinnington and across the S25 and S26 areas have been left without postal deliveries for weeks at a time, despite waiting on vital medical, financial and time-sensitive letters. That is an appalling failure of service, and it is simply not acceptable for this level of disruption to persist.
“I raised the same issues with Royal Mail last year, yet the situation appears to have deteriorated again. I have already written to Royal Mail demanding an urgent explanation, a full breakdown of what has gone wrong, and a clear plan to restore reliable deliveries. I’ve also pressed them to immediately consider redeploying staff from neighbouring areas to stabilise the service, and I have requested a meeting at the earliest possible opportunity to ensure this is treated with the seriousness it deserves.
“Postal services are a lifeline for many older and more vulnerable residents. I will be meeting with Royal Mail as a matter of urgency, and I will continue to press for immediate improvements so that people receive the essential mail they rely on.”
Residents wrote under Mr Stafford’s post how they have missed crucial deliveries in recent weeks.
“I stopped one of the parcel delivery drivers and ask him where the letters are. He told me that the Dinnington office is prioritising parcels.
“They may get some temp Xmas staff starting this week to help with delivery of letters. Don't hold your breath!”
Another wrote: “It’s not just S25, I live in Wickersley and am having ongoing issues. I received a batch of important mail dated September 10 on November 20/21.”
Listing Dinnington and the S25/S26 post code area, in a list of areas affected. Royal Mail stated in their latest service update online: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week.
“In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors. In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers.
“We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive.
“We're sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”