Royal Mail scraps pledge to deliver in time for Christmas Day

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https://metro.co.uk/2020/12/22/royal-ma ... -13789448/

Royal Mail is suspending a service that guarantees deliveries in time for Christmas amid chaos over the mutant Covid and new tier 4 restrictions.

Deliveries to mainland Europe have also been halted after nations banned travel from the UK to try and stop the faster spreading strain crossing their borders.

The suspension of Royal Mail’s special delivery means they cannot guarantee items posted on December 23 would arrive before Christmas. It’s the busiest time of the year for sorting offices across the country but the situation has escalated after millions of people in London and the South East were placed under strict lockdown measures.

Royal Mail’s special delivery service can still be used today, without the guarantee, but you should be prepared for long queues at the Post Office.

The company said it was also experiencing delays to Canada and Turkey, both of which were listed as part of its ‘on suspension’ list. Deliveries to the Republic of Ireland are unaffected. Royal Mail said: ‘We are working to keep as many international mail services running as possible given the current restrictions around air, road, ferry and train movements from the UK.

Royal Mail has temporarily suspended all mail services to Europe, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland. We are keeping the situation under close and constant review.’ The company said it was monitoring the ‘fast-moving situation’ on an hourly basis, adding: ‘We’re… ready to open our services as soon as we are able to once the restrictions have been lifted. ‘We continue to explore all options. We’re additionally experiencing delays to Canada and Turkey as air capacity is severely limited. ‘We’re working with our airline and postal/courier partners across the globe to maintain services, however delays should be expected.’

Meanwhile, Germany’s DHL said it was temporarily suspending deliveries of packages to the UK.