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By Lesley Walsh
POSTAL delays continue to plague parts of the Ards and North Down borough with ‘persistent’ delays being experienced in the Rivenwood area of Newtownards, leading to missed hospital appointments and financial penalties for late bills.
Strangford MLA Nick Mathison said residents have been complaining about ‘persistent postal delivery failures’ in the development near the town’s Movilla Road.
He said ratepayers have been coming to him with ‘continued complaints of mis-delivered and significantly delayed mail’, affecting not only Royal Mail, but also well known delivery companies.
Householders in the area have had to set up a group mobile telephone chat to sort the post themselves, delivering the mail to each other where the postal service has failed. He said the problems have continued despite ‘clear assurances’ by Royal Mail that the situation would improve.
Mr Mathison said: “Residents have reported a long-running pattern of letters being delivered to incorrect addresses due to confusion between similarly numbered streets and avenues within the development. Despite repeated assurances from Royal Mail that the issue would be addressed through reminders to delivery staff, constituents say problems remain widespread.”
But he said ‘more worryingly’ delays in receiving post has had ‘real consequences for families, including missed hospital appointments and financial penalties’.
“In one case, a resident missed the reduced payment window for a parking fine after a letter dated early December did not arrive until several weeks later,” he revealed.
“People are rightly frustrated. When post arrives late or at the wrong address, it can have serious consequences, particularly for time-sensitive hospital letters or bills.
“I’ve received two clear assurances that this would improve, and it is simply not acceptable that residents are still dealing with the same issues.”
The Strangford politician said residents have had to take matters into their own hands. “Many residents now rely on a large community WhatsApp group to reunite incorrectly delivered post, highlighting the scale of the issue.”
Mr Mathison has written to Royal Mail on a number of occasions to demand urgent action and clarity on why previous commitments have not led to meaningful improvement.
He has also highlighted that residents believe a lack of care and attention to the full address —particularly the distinction between ‘street’ and ‘avenue’, is a key factor. And he added that Royal Mail was not the sole culprit in late deliveries.
“This problem is not just limited to Royal Mail – residents are experiencing similar issues with delivery companies such as DPD and others.”
Mr Mathison will continue to press Royal Mail and other delivery providers until a reliable service is restored for the Rivenwood community. Royal Mail was asked for comment but none was forthcoming by the time of going to press.
