People living in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have said they've had no mail for nearly two weeks, while others have said they're typically experiencing two- or three-day delays
Angry residents have spoken of missing important doctor's appointments, missing bank cards and not receiving birthday cards on time due to Royal Mail delivery delays.
People living in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have said they've had no mail for nearly two weeks, while others have said they're typically experiencing two- or three-day delays. Some said when their mail arrives it's all bunched together with an elastic band around it.
First-class post is aimed to be delivered the next working day while second-class letters typically arrive within two to three working days.
However, in October 2025 Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21million for missing their delivery targets in 2024/25. Despite the fine, the people of Cardiff are still missing mail. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here
Richard Virgin, a pensioner from Leckwith, said he and his neighbours have had no mail for “nearly two weeks”. “When it does arrive it’s in blocks with an elastic band,” said Mr Virgin.
“I waited nearly three weeks for a new bank card that’s supposed to take about five working days. I’m overdue three or four letters at the moment. The last one I had was posted in February. It’s an utter disgrace.”
Joyce Emery, 79, from Pentrebane, said she is in a similar position, having missed important hospital appointments due to delayed letters. “Over the last few months we’ve missed hospital appointments,” she said, adding her mail has also started coming in bulk.
“Our post usually comes in a bundle. I've sent birthday cards that haven't arrived even when posted five days in advance. I didn't receive some of my birthday cards in January even though they were posted well in advance."
Ms Emery added: "I’ve been told by a postman that they have to prioritise parcels. This shouldn’t be happening."
Rachel, from Llandough, said she now only gets post once a week. "It’s disgraceful given the cost of postage," she said. "I get a few letters and bills altogether once a week, then nothing again."
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We know how important it is that customers receive their mail as expected. Recent UK-wide figures show around 92% of all letters are delivered on time and 99.4% within a week, which shows longer delays are rare.
“We deliver across Cardiff six days a week, with letters arriving in line with the service used rather than on a fixed timetable for each area. As letter volumes have declined it’s also now less common for customers to receive letters every day.
“While we recognise there is more to do to deliver a consistently high level of service everywhere, our focus is on providing a reliable service for customers.”
Royal Mail said the prioritisation of parcels is to avoid “health and safety risks” at their sorting facilities which were not designed for the overflow of packages they see today.
“Our aim is always to deliver both letters and parcels on time,” a spokesperson for Royal Mail said, “however, parcels now make up a much larger share of the mail we handle and take up significantly more space than letters.
“Many delivery offices were designed when letters were the main item, so large volumes of parcels can quickly fill the space. When parcels build up they can block walkways and create health and safety risks, so they sometimes need to be cleared first to keep offices safe and ensure mail continues moving through the network. Ofcom recognises that there are occasions when prioritising parcels is necessary as part of contingency planning.”