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Staff shortages, higher sickness, and restricted overtime have led Royal Mail to prioritise parcels, causing delays in letters across over 100 UK postcodes, including 38 offices flagged most affected.
- Royal Mail staff told the BBC that letters were left undelivered while parcels were prioritised, but Royal Mail said most mail is delivered and service is returning to normal.
- Staff say restricted overtime since January and staff shortages forced prioritisation of deliveries, while a Royal Mail spokesperson blamed storms Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra, higher sick absence, parcel volumes and vehicle shortages.
- Photographs supplied to the BBC show full racks and trays left in depots, including a first-class tray reportedly sitting for two weeks; parcels are always prioritised, as tracked parcels affect depot performance statistics daily.
- Hundreds of customers told the BBC they missed NHS appointments and lost bank statements and school certificates, while Ofcom has fined Royal Mail £37m in recent years and vows to hold it to account.
- The wider context includes the ED Group takeover and ongoing Communication Workers Union dispute talks, with a pilot of slower delivery targets in 35 offices but no expansion to all 1,200 Royal Mail sites serving nearly two million postcodes under six days per week delivery rules.
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