Residents of Bromley forced to drive to sorting offices to collect their post

Residents of Bromley are being forced to drive to collect stacks of letters from a Royal Mail sorting office after deliveries in the area fell to once a fortnight.

The sorting office in Bromley, southeast London, sees residents forced to trek there to collect days’ worth of mail.

Julie Reeves, 63, picked up 14 letters on Friday – and told The Times she is forced to drive three miles there from Catford every few days.

‘We have been getting letter deliveries once a week since July,’ she said, adding that they used to have a regular postie come each day at 9.30am.

It comes as Royal Mail faces staffing shortages and financial losses amid strike action from workers. 

It comes as Royal Mail faces staffing shortages, financial losses and strike action from workers

Mrs Reeves, whose pile of mail include a Next shopping account bill, said: ‘This month, I haven’t seen a Royal Mail van on our road for ten days.’

And an 85-year-old man, who was seen collecting a pile of around 15 letters last week, told the Times that he had’t had a letter delivery in days – with the postie who arrived that morning saying he was just delivering parcels. 

Royal Mail asked the government if Saturday deliveries could be ended, however the proposal was denied as questions were raised on whether the needs of the public would be met. 

Despite this, many residents say a six-day service seems to no longer exist in their area.

With the disappearing of regular deliveries, residents are also reporting missing hospital letters, important bills, fixed-penalty notices and driving licences. 

And on Durham Road, Bromley, the service appears to be so sparse that residents excitedly message a WhatsApp group when a delivery is made, to alert neighbours. 

The Bromley sorting office is currently dealing with high levels of sick leave but staff say the company are not recruiting – which Royal Mail denies. 

A spokesman said: ‘We have a dedicated plan to improve the Bromley area’s service quality. This has already reduced absence levels by more than half, with all current sick absences covered through temporary recruitment.’

Earlier this week, the boss of Royal Mail stepped down after being accused by MPs of an ‘unacceptable level of incompetence’. 

Simon Thompson, who has headed the postal service since 2021, said he believes it is ‘the right time for the company to move forward under new leadership’ after an agreement was struck between the firm and union leaders last month. 

The deal with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will see staff get a 10 per cent salary increase and a £500 one-off payment.  

Earlier this week, IDS shares fell 0.5 per cent, or 1.1p, to 244.7p as speculation swirled about his imminent exit

IDS had been expected to announce Mr Thompson’s departure before its annual results on May 18, ending a mostly unhappy tenure of just over two years.

Earlier this week, IDS shares fell 0.5 per cent, or 1.1p, to 244.7p as speculation swirled about his imminent exit. 

The dispute between Royal Mail and its workers dragged on for nearly a year before a deal – which included a 10 per cent raise for staff – was struck last month.

It followed a bruising period for the company that saw posties walk out on strike for 18 days last year. 

The action caused chaos in delivery offices across the UK. And Royal Mail warned it was losing over £1million per day and would need to call in administrators if the situation did not improve.