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People in parts of Portishead say they are now only getting post once a week. Fed up residents in some areas – including Beach Road West – say they are having a delivery on a Monday, with no further deliveries until Saturday.
The situation in Slade Road is worse, with people reporting they are only receiving mail once a week on a Saturday. The reduction in deliveries is prompting concern among residents, some who rely on medication which is delivered by post.
It is understood the problem has arisen over the last few weeks. Barbara Thatcher, who lives at Beach Road West, said: “We had post on a Monday and then nothing until the following Saturday.
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“We used to have post pretty much every day. I order my medication online and am now concerned that it won’t come in time.
“A lot of people living in this area are encountering issues also. Some people could be waiting for important documents.”
It is understood that the issue has arisen after a reduction in the number of postal delivery staff in Portishead. It is believed that around half a dozen jobs were cut in Portishead earlier this year, leaving the remaining posties with ‘unachievable rounds.’
Resident Reyna Knight, who lives at Slade Road, has only been receiving post once a week on a Saturday. Mrs Knight said: “I have only had post once a week in recent weeks and neighbours are reporting the same problems.
“If there is an issue, and changes have been made, the public should be notified. It is extremely worrying as some people may be waiting for important documents.
“Not everyone, particularly the elderly community, is online and rely on getting their post. Royal Mail needs to resource its rounds properly.
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“People are used to having a postal service every day.” In a statement on its website Royal Mail says: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week.
“In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors. In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers.
“We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive. “ A spokesman for Royal Mail confirmed that its office at Portishead was experiencing delays with postal services.
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A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Over the last 10 years, the number of addresses we deliver to has grown by more than 2 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.
“Our latest quarterly results show a 25% 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, and this is an ongoing process.
“This has had no impact on the quality of service received by our customers.”
The disruption to services comes at the same time as Portishead has been left without a post office following the closure of the branch in McColls in the High Street in January. People needing to use the post office now have to travel to Pill or Clevedon.
A new site for a post office is currently being sought.
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