Royal Mail delays reported in Barnstaple as problems continue nationwide

Barnstaple residents have reported ongoing delays in Royal Mail deliveries, with some parcels and letters arriving in large batches after days or even weeks of absence.

A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Gazette: “I am not sure what is happening with Royal Mail deliveries in Barnstaple. They seem to be saving it up and then we get large batches of deliveries. Today a 48-hour tracked parcel was supposed to be collected but, what a surprise, no show.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson told the Gazette: “We understand how frustrating it is when post does not arrive as expected, and we want to reassure customers that the vast majority of mail is delivered as planned. Where a delay affects a route, we work to resolve it as quickly as possible by putting in extra support and reviewing performance daily to restore deliveries as quickly as possible.”

The issue seems not limited to North Devon.

The BBC reported this week that Royal Mail has apologised after persistent disruption to postal deliveries in South Gloucestershire, where residents were going weeks without letters and cards before receiving large piles of post at once. 

Claire Young, the Liberal Democrat MP for Thornbury and Yate, described the situation as a “huge problem” and has written to Royal Mail and the industry regulator Ofcom urging an investigation.

Ofcom, which regulates Royal Mail, confirmed it continues to monitor the company’s performance closely. 

An Ofcom spokesperson told the Gazette: “In recent years, we’ve fined Royal Mail £37 million for its poor letter delivery performance, and we’ll continue to hold the company to account. Last year, we modernised the obligations imposed on Royal Mail – to reflect what people need, put the service on a more sustainable footing, and enable the company to invest more in improving its delivery performance. Royal Mail must now play its part by implementing this effectively and improving its reliability.”

The regulator measures Royal Mail’s performance against nationwide delivery targets. 

First Class post is required to reach at least 93 per cent of recipients within one working day, and Second Class post 98.5 per cent within three working days over the financial year.

In recent years, fines have reflected failures to meet these targets, including £21 million in October 2025, £10.5 million in December 2024, and £5.6 million in November 2023.