A Wiltshire pensioner has been left outraged after Royal Mail delays saw him wait eight days for holiday brochures.
John Lewin, of Sadlers Mead in Chippenham, went eight days without receiving any post or deliveries from Royal Mail between June 20 and June 29.
The 74-year-old and his wife had been waiting eagerly for holiday brochures but were subjected to the delays due to the postal service experiencing “issues” in the area.
“It was very frustrating because we got post as normal on the Tuesday then got nothing until the following Thursday”, Mr Lewin said.
“I feel very disillusioned, disappointed and disgusted about the state of play because it’s a poor show when you need important stuff that comes in a hard copy.
“I had been waiting for holiday brochures which weren’t critical, but when you wait day after day and don’t get anything it’s chronic.”
Despite being frustrated at the lengthy wait, Mr Lewin was more concerned that the delays could have impacted others more seriously.
He added: “I know some of my neighbours were waiting desperately because sometimes the NHS might send mail if there’s a problem with an appointment.
“It could even be that you would miss the appointment because you don’t get the information in time, it absolutely affects people.
“I’m retired but there are plenty of people who might rely on hard copies of things for employment issues.”
Mail deliveries have now returned to normal in Sadlers Mead and Mr Lewin is once again receiving his post on time.
He claims his postman told him that the service is currently heavily understaffed in the Chippenham area, although Royal Mail have denied this is the case.
Royal Mail told this paper that there are no significant staffing issues in Wiltshire and that staffing is currently in place in the area.
While they admitted that there have been issues previously with delays in Sadlers Mead, they emphasised that the quality of service is improving, and the postcode has now been cleared.
They added that plans are in place to drive service levels further and they hope and expect to see further progress in the coming months.
Recent research by charity Citizens Advice found that postal delays are common across the country, with nearly one in three adults experiencing delays between May 25 and June 5.
They have called for regulator Ofcom to strengthen its current review of the service, while Royal Mail attributed the issue to strikes and “high levels” of staff absence.