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Rural Lambourn lies in the heart of the West Berkshire countryside but the idyllic village has been less than ideal in recent months with little to no postal service.
After several problems across West Berkshire, Royal Mail has issued an apology to anyone whose life was upended by the postal mayhem.
Resident Kiaran O’Brian contacted the Chronicle to explain how this has been affecting the community. He said: “For the last six to eight weeks, it has been a disaster. Lambourn has an older demographic, so many people still rely on the postal service.
“People have missed hospital appointments because they haven’t received the letters in the post. This is especially bad because we all know how hard it is to get a hospital appointment these days.
“It has got to the stage where residents are quite literally having to go to the sorting office to collect their own mail. However, with work and other commitments, this isn’t possible for everyone.”
Some residents across West Berkshire have reportedly been forced to take time off work to simply collect mail from their local sorting office.
West Berkshire MP Laura Ferris has been in touch with Royal Mail after her constituents approached her regarding this issue, which has also affected areas in Newbury and Thatcham.
In communications seen by the Reading Chronicle, the Royal Mail explained that resources have been stretched due to a higher-than-normal absence for this time of year.
The local team has apologized and outlined that they will be returning to a six-day-a-week service.
The correspondence also explained that following complaints from frustrated residents, four new recruits have been hired in the team that covers Lambourn with plans for two more also.
On Tuesday, September 12, Kiaran contacted the Chronicle with news that he had since received mail in the post dating back to June 19.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are sorry to residents in Lambourn who have experienced delays. Improving quality of service is our top priority and we are committed to restoring service levels to where our customers expect them to be.
“Recently, a number of staff members have been on annual leave at the local delivery office, but they have since returned. Every effort is being made to keep delays to a minimum and staff are working to ensure any mail is delivered as soon as possible.
“We encourage anyone with concerns about the delivery of their mail to contact Royal Mail customer service on 03457 740 740 or via www.royalmail.com.”
