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As previously reported, Royal Mail apologised to Basingstoke residents who were experiencing delays receiving post, saying it was impacted by “high levels of sickness absence” which were causing “some disruption”.
A postal worker from the Royal Mail delivery office in Priestly Road, Basingstoke, claims that this is not true.
READ MORE: Thousands of homes in Basingstoke experiencing delays to post, Royal Mail confirms
The worker, whose identity is being protected, said: “The real reason why people are not getting to their regular mail is that in April, Royal Mail removed a net total of 20 delivery rounds at the Basingstoke delivery office and shared out the workload amongst the remaining post persons adding to the size of their rounds.
“This made postal staffs’ deliveries unachievable with the increased workload and resulted in either mail not going out each day or being returned back to the office.”
The worker claims that Royal Mail is planning to scrap a further 11 rounds in Basingstoke, forcing the workload onto the remaining postal staff.
“This will only make the current situation worse,” they said.
The claims were put to Royal Mail, who responded to say they cannot provide any further information on staff sickness or how long staff have been off sick.
SEE ALSO: Royal Mail apologises for disruption to post services in Basingstoke
Royal Mail did not dispute the claims and did admit that there have been revisions in the area to “balance and re-distribute the workload”.
A spokesperson said: “Over the last 10 years, the number of addresses we deliver to has grown by more than two million and many postmen and women’s routes have not been revised in this time.
“This can mean that some routes can be an hour or two longer than others, for example where new housing developments have been built.
“There has been a 25 per cent decline in the volume of letters sent since before the pandemic, during which time the number of parcels has risen. We have therefore revised routes throughout the country to ensure they are fairer and reflect the growth in addresses and parcel deliveries.”
Royal Mail previously told the Gazette that thousands of homes in Basingstoke and Tadley were experiencing delays to their post, with more than 3,000 addresses in the borough impacted during the last week of July – around four per cent of the 75,662 delivery points it covers.
Have you experienced problems with post? Are you a postal worker in Basingstoke? Email Emily.roberts@newsquest.co.uk.
