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A stock image of Royal Mail vans. (Picture: Reach PLC)
Widnes has been named in a list of 21 areas where Royal Mail is struggling to make deliveries due to the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A service update on its website said a massive increase in online shopping and the lockdown have led to “exceptionally high volumes” to deal with.
It added that staff were “working hard” to provide a “comprehensive and high quality service”.
Runcorn, where residents have reported sporadic delays in Weston Point and Castlefields during the pandemic, was not included in the list.
Most of the other locations on Royal Mail’s delayed service list are concentrated in the South East.
The Liverpool Echo reported the issue has prompted calls, including from MPs and the Communication Workers Union (CWU), for postal workers to be added to the priority list of people receiving coronavirus vaccinations.
A statement accompanying the update said: “Every single parcel and letter is important to us.
“Despite our best efforts and significant investment in extra resource, some customers may experience slightly longer delivery timescales than our usual service standards.
“This is due to the exceptionally high volumes we are seeing, exacerbated by the coronavirus-related measures we have put in place in local mail centres and delivery offices to keep our people and customers safe.
“In such cases, we always work hard to get back to providing our usual level of service as quickly as we can.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
The other 20 locations on the list alongside Widnes are: Ashford, Basildon, Bury St Edmunds, Chelmsford, Daventry, Debden, Enfield, Hampton, Highbury, Horsham, Ilford, Leeds, Lewisham, Magherafelt, Margate, Rugeley, Somerton, South Ockendon, South Woodford, Upper Holloway.
