Royal Mail responded to concerns that mail is being delivered extremely late to residents across Northampton.
Residents in Northamptonshire have reported widespread delays to Royal Mail deliveries, with some saying they have gone days without receiving letters.
One reader told the Chronicle and Echo: “I haven't received mail in quite some time and speaking to family in different parts of the town it seems the same story, for days no mail and then a glut all comes together.
"My mum caught the postman this morning and he confirmed our theory: they are simply not delivering letters and prioritising parcels. What about people waiting for hospital appointments? These will be missed and bills may be unpaid.”
Others on social media have reported similar problems. One said: “Royal mail are prioritising parcel deliveries. Postie said as much on Kingsthorpe site a day or two ago.”
Others described ‘erratic’ deliveries across the county. One wrote: “Had nothing for a week now (same as neighbours) should have a weekly paper which is now a week over due; how and where do we complain or is it even worth the effort as they up the price and the service gets worse.”
Another added: “Mail deliveries in Little Billing have been erratic, to say the least, for a long time now! I went on holiday for 10 days and came back to three items of mail, none of which were my payslips or timesheets that I need to do every week! The service is so bad.”
Others reported finally receiving backlogs of mail. “I had post today after two weeks without any! 17 letters including two hospital letters and two Christmas cards, and a packet. My postie told me last week that they were only delivering tracked mail and told to prioritise parcels as there is a huge backlog!”
Responding, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We take any reports of delay seriously and will further investigate these concerns. We want to reassure customers that the overwhelming majority of mail is being delivered on time, and where a route is affected we prioritise any delayed items the following day. As we approach the busy Christmas period, our teams are well prepared to keep deliveries consistent and reliable.”