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Families in a Stoke-on-Trent neighbourhood have been left waiting for important letters due to a lack of postal deliveries.
Residents in Chell Heath say they have only had one delivery of letters and parcels since the end of July.
They say they have also been told they cannot collect their post from the sorting office, meaning they have no way of getting their correspondence.
But it’s not just the ST6 6PT post code that has been affected.
Other families living elsewhere in the city have complained on social media about a lack of post for days on end.
Graham Wiltshaw, who lives in Catharine Road, said: “We have only had one lot of post since July 30. That was a young postwoman who came with parcels, and she said we were only getting that because it was tracked. We had post that same day.
“As far as I know it’s affecting all of Chell Heath. I heard our regular postman can’t go in the van with a colleague because they are only allowed one in a van now and he doesn’t drive, so he has had to do a walking round in Tunstall. That has left us without a postman.
“My son ordered a part for his car on August 3, next-day delivery, but that has still not come. We have been told there is 10 days of post waiting at the sorting office.
“We asked if we could go and collect it but they said no. It’s a joke. People could have important letters waiting from the hospital.
“If someone interfered with the post they would be prosecuted. But Royal Mail can withhold it for 10 days and nothing happens to them.”
Another Catharine Road resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “I am waiting for important letters from a solicitor after a relative passed away.
“I rang the sorting office to see if I could collect my post but they said it was not allowed. The next day I tried to ring again but it was just constantly ringing.
“I understand if they have not got the staff to deliver it but I can’t understand why we can’t collect it? It’s very frustrating.”
Jim Gibson, chairman of Chell Heath Residents’ Association, said he had experienced the same issue. “We have gone seven days and had no mail. We used to see the postman on a regular basis but we don’t now.
“They keep putting the price of postage up but the service is going down bank – I don’t think it’s right. There might be people who are waiting for really important mail.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “From the start of this crisis, we always said that despite our best endeavours, it is possible that some areas of the country may experience a reduction in service levels due to Coronavirus-related absences at their local mail centre or delivery office.
“Following a number of absences in the Stoke-on-Trent area, we are working hard to increase support to bring service levels running close to normal.
“We have been working hard to deliver the most comprehensive service we can to all our customers in challenging circumstances throughout this period.
“We have introduced a number of social distancing measures to our operation to offer further protection for our colleagues and our customers.
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“We are proud of all our colleagues across the UK for helping to keep the nation connected in such challenging circumstances. We always endeavour to keep our customers as informed as we can of any changes to our services.
“Royal Mail thanks customers for their patience during this difficult time.”
For more information on changes to Royal Mail services during the pandemic, visit their website here.
