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Villagers in a Somerset coastal village say they have been left without a functioning postal service – with some only getting mail once every three weeks. People living in Kilve say getting their letters has become ‘a nightmare’ after their usual postie went off sick at the end of September.
Residents say no cover has been organised for their poorly postie and that mail deliveries have become ‘sporadic’. Some villagers have been left waiting for medication through the post, with others being forced to travel to their doctors to get emergency prescriptions.
Parcel deliveries have also become ‘non existent’ with residents being told there are several crates of parcels backing up at Bridgwater Sorting Office. Resident Helen Chambers, who has lived in Kilve for three years, says the disruption is starting to affect the community.
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Mrs Chambers, a 43-year-old finance manager, said: “We are not getting parcels and mail is very sporadic. We have quite an elderly population in Kilve and many rely on the postal service to bring their medications.
“I ordered some medication on September 21 and that has still not appeared – I’ve instead had to go and get an emergency prescription. Our postman went off sick at the end of September and we have been told there is no plan to replace him while he is off work.”
Mrs Chambers says that it took three weeks for her daughter to receive a birthday card. The card was posted on September 18, but it didn’t arrive until October 8. “I have been up to the sorting office where I was told there were 11 crates of parcels backing up for Kilve,” said Mrs Chambers.
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“We are still receiving tracked parcels, but that is all. Currently I am waiting for eight parcels – including some which are my daughter’s birthday presents.” Mrs Chambers has raised a complaint with Royal Mail and now plans to raise her concerns with local councillors.
“When you buy a postage stamp, you have purchased a service,” said Mrs Chambers. “By not delivering, Royal Mail is in breach of that contract.”
Other neighbouring areas, including Holford, are also encountering issues with postal deliveries. Alcombe News in Alcombe, which used to house the village post office, also closed last month.
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The post office in Kilve is also not currently operational. Royal Mail said it has committed additional resources to the area to clear the backlog. It added that deliveries, both letters and parcels, are continuing to the area daily.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “We are committed to restoring our quality of service to our customers. We have plans in place and dedicated teams responsible for improving deliveries across Somerset and throughout our delivery offices nationwide.
“Over the last six weeks we have recruited around 3,000 postmen and women and are continuing to recruit c.500 permanent positions a week in delivery. To support the physical and mental health of our employees and assist them in their return to work, we have introduced a wellbeing programme which provides colleagues with free, confidential, and independent healthcare support, including unlimited 24/7 access to an online GP.
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“In the lead up to Christmas, we are taking on 16,000 temporary workers, more vehicles and additional parcel sorting sites to handle double the normal volume of parcels we expect over the period. These actions plus others are already making a difference in some areas and we are confident that they will continue to improve quality of service for our customers.”
