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Royal Mail has been warned by its regulator to improve its service as delivery delays left some Christmas mail on reception in mid-January.
As the impacts of the covid pandemic subside, the postal service needs to improve, watchdog Ofcom said.
It added that action would be taken if Royal Mail failed to meet its annual targets.
Royal Mail has said delivery offices have struggled due to staff absences related to the Omicron wave and “other local factors”.
Postal workers say they face intense pressure, with a vastly increased workload and more than 900,000 Covid test kits to deliver every day.
In some offices, a third of employees have been sick during the Omicron wave, a Royal Mail spokesman said.
People have reported waiting weeks for mail to be delivered across the country, with delays said to be particularly bad in parts of London, Manchester, Hertfordshire, Scotland and Wales.
Of the 56 most affected areas, 18 are in the capital. In south-west London, Christmas cards arrive through letter boxes weeks after the holidays.
A disgruntled resident called the postal service a “disgraceful scam” on Friday, complaining that a card with a first-class stamp arrived more than five weeks after it was mailed.
Another offered a tongue-in-cheek thank you to Royal Mail for “making Christmas last all year” after receiving cards weeks late.
Others across the country say they haven’t received crucial letters on time, including appointment details, bills and parking tickets.
Sarah Jones, MP for Croydon Central, said she had asked Royal Mail to “investigate the current state of affairs”.
In a Facebook post, he said: “It is my understanding that the Croydon and South Croydon delivery offices are currently unable to complete all deliveries six days a week due to absences.”
He added that postal workers had been “invaluable” during the pandemic and said they deserve “our utmost respect and gratitude.”
the independent I heard from a postman who said that he has been suffering from anxiety as the pressure builds.
After months of intense work, he said he only realized how much stress he had been under when his leg started shaking uncontrollably during a doctor’s visit.
According to Royal Mail, absentee rates are currently double what they were before the pandemic. There were 15,000 employees out of work two weeks ago. Those numbers are now starting to drop, with 2,000 employees returning to work last week.
Royal Mail said deliveries are “operating normally in most parts of the country”.
A spokesperson said: “Our goal is to deliver to all the addresses we have mail for, six days a week.
“In a small number of local offices, this may not be possible temporarily due to local issues such as Covid-related self-isolation, higher than usual levels of sick leave, resources or other local factors.
“We are providing targeted support to local offices affected by these issues. Our staff continues to work incredibly hard, as they have throughout the pandemic, and we are grateful for all of their efforts and determination.”
Royal Mail is required by Ofcom to deliver at least 93 per cent of first class mail across the UK within one working day of collection, and 98.5 per cent of second class mail within three working days. .
But at the start of the pandemic, he recognized the pressures the postal service was under and gave Royal Mail time to readjust. But this period ended in August last year.
He said Royal Mail is exempt from its targets each December due to the volume of deliveries before Christmas.
An Ofcom spokesman said: “We know how important a reliable postal service is to customers, and we can take action if Royal Mail fails to meet our annual targets.
“We closely followed its delivery performance throughout the year and have made it clear to the company that it needs to improve as the impacts of the pandemic subside.
“We will assess Royal Mail’s performance after it has reported on its overall performance throughout the financial year.”
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