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TWO Sussex postcodes are among 28 areas in the UK currently suffering from limited delivery services due to a rising number of Royal Mail workers being affected by coronavirus.
The RH12 and RH13 postcodes in the Horsham area have been placed on what has been dubbed a “Covid blacklist”.
Residents in areas included on the blacklist have complained of not having had mail delivered for more than a month, and fears have also arisen that elderly residents will not receive notifications of when a coronavirus vaccine is available to them.
The issue has prompted calls from MPs and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) for postal workers to be added to the priority list of people receiving coronavirus vaccinations.
In a statement published with the list on its website, Royal Mail said it was “working hard to deliver the most comprehensive and high quality service we can to all our customers” despite the pandemic and the associated rise in pressure on delivery resources due to increased online shopping.
“The combination of greatly increased uptake of online shopping, and the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, mean that all delivery companies are experiencing exceptionally high volumes,” the statement said.
“Every single parcel and letter is important to us.
“Despite our best efforts and significant investment in extra resource, some customers may experience slightly longer delivery timescales than our usual service standards.
“This is due to the exceptionally high volumes we are seeing, exacerbated by the coronavirus-related measures we have put in place in local mail centres and delivery offices to keep our people and customers safe.
“In such cases, we always work hard to get back to providing our usual level of service as quickly as we can.”
Here is a full list of areas affected:
- Ashford (TN23-TN27)
- Barnsley (S70, S71, S72 and S75)
- Basildon (SS13-SS16)
- Bow (E3)
- Bury St Edmunds (IP28-IP33)
- Chelmsford (CM1-CM3)
- Christchurch (BH23)
- Daventry (NN11)
- Debden (IG7-IG10)
- Enfield (EN1-EN3)
- Grays (RM16-RM20)
- Hampton (TW12)
- Highbury (N5)
- Hornsey (N8)
- Horsham (RH12, RH13)
- Ilford (IG1-IG6)
- Leeds City (LS1-LS5)
- Lewisham (SE13)
- Magherafelt (BT45, BT46)
- Margate (CT7-CT9)
- Rugeley (WS15)
- Somerton (TA11)
- South Ockendon (RM15)
- South Woodford (E18)
- Upper Holloway (N7)
- Wandsworth (SW18)
- Wellington (TA21)
- Widnes (WA8)
On its website, Royal Mail advises people in the affected regions who have been left a “something for you” card from the service to check its website to learn revised opening hours for when they can collect the item.
“If we’ve not left a ‘something for you card’, and you do not have alternative arrangements in place, we’re sorry that your mail will not be available for collection,” the advice states.
