Royal Mail deny prioritising parcels over letters
Royal Mail has acknowledged a recent delay in postal deliveries within the W4 post code area, following a surge in demand for its services. A number of people in Chiswick, including residents of Chesterfield Road, have reported missing mail this month.
Residents have reported missing mail for up to and over a fortnight and a backlog of mail has reportedly been discovered at Chiswick Delivery Office, which employees said was because a postman had recently left and a regular replacement had yet to be found. The employees explained that the prioritisation of parcels over letters had led to this situation.
A Royal Mail spokesperson has denied this, saying:
“Royal Mail does not operate a policy of prioritising parcels. We regularly remind colleagues that the delivery, collection, and processing of letters and parcels should be treated with equal importance.
“However, parcels, due to their size, can impede the movement of both staff and mail, posing health and safety risks and causing delays. During particularly busy periods, such as post-strike recovery, local offices may occasionally clear parcels to ensure efficient movement of all mail, including letters.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson added:
“We are sorry to hear some residents in Chiswick have experienced delays. Every item of mail is important to us. When delays happen, every effort is made to ensure post is delivered and the reasons behind the delays are addressed.
“The service in the area has recently been impacted by an increase in demand. This demand had returned back to normal by the middle of last week, residents can expect business as usual going forward.
“We encourage anyone with concerns about the delivery of their mail to please contact customer service on 03457 740 740 or via www.royalmail.com.”
