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Parcels and letters will not be delivered on time across a large swathe ‘of the countrside ‘due to sickness, resourcing, or other local factors’
The Royal Mail has issued a significant delivery warning for 151 postcodes in a new update today. People are being warned of severe disruption to services meaning letters and parcels might not arrive in time for Christmas
Royal Mail said some local offices are facing difficulties due to “issues including high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors”. Royal Mail stated its aim to deliver six days a week, but conceded that in several hotspots, this will “temporarily not be possible”.
It cautioned that households in the affected areas may experience delays to letters and parcels during one of the busiest times of the year. The company said delivery rounds will be rotated to “minimise delay”, while additional support has been brought in to assist the worst-hit offices manage the increasing Christmas volumes.
A comprehensive list published on the Royal Mail website today reveals dozens of impacted postcodes, covering all parts of the UK, from Aberdare in Scotland and Derry in Northern Ireland to Plymouth on England’s southern coast.
Royal Mail apologised for the disruption, stating: “We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. We will regularly update customers on the offices most impacted.” This warning follows a turbulent few months for the postal service as it battles m.
Royal Mail has been slapped with a hefty fine for failing to meet delivery targets. Last month, Ofcom imposed a £21 million penalty on the postal service for falling short of its delivery goals during the financial year.
Royal Mail only managed to deliver 77 per cent of first-class mail and 92.5 per cent of second-class mail on time in the 2024/25 financial year. Both these figures significantly missed their respective targets of 93% and 98.5%.
The communications watchdog has now warned that unless Royal Mail promptly presents a credible improvement plan, it is likely to face continued fines.
This marks the third occasion in recent years that Royal Mail has been found in violation of its regulatory obligations.
The postal service was previously fined £5.6 million in November 2023 and £10.5 million in December 2024.
Ian Strawhorne, director of enforcement at Ofcom, stated: “Millions of important letters are arriving late, and people aren’t getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp. These persistent failures are unacceptable, and customers expect and deserve better.”
Ofcom explained that the fine was a reflection of the “harm suffered by customers” due to Royal Mail’s subpar service.
This penalty follows Royal Mail’s ambitious attempt to overhaul its service and establish thousands of shops across the UK for the first time. Approximately 8,000 Collect+ convenience stores are set to be rebranded as Royal Mail shops.
Check to see if your area is affected
- Aboyne SUDO (AB34)
- Airdrie DO (ML6)
- Altens DO (AB10, AB11, AB12 and AB35)
- Ashington DO (NE22, NE62, NE63 and NE64)
- Ashton Under Lyne DO (OL5, OL6 and OL7)
- Barry DO (CF62 and CF63)
- Batley DO (WF5, WF15, WF16 and WF17)
- Belfast West DO (BT10, BT11, BT12 and BT17)
- Bingham DO (NG12 and NG13)
- Bristol East DO (BS5)
- Brixton DO (SW2)
- Calderway DO (WF12, WF13 and WF14)
- Callington DO (PL17 and PL18)
- Canvey Island DO (SS8)
- Clevedon DO (BS21 and BS49)
- Congleton DO (CW4 and CW12)
- Dundee East DO (DD4, DD5 and DD7)
- Dunstable DO (LU5 and LU6)
- Dursley DO (GL11, GL12 and GL13)
- Dyce DO (AB21)
- Eastwood DO (NG16)
- Egremont DO (CA21, CA22, CA23, CA24, CA25 and CA27)
- Erskine DO (PA7 and PA8)
- Glasgow G52 DO (G52 and G53)
- Glenrothes DO (KY6 and KY7)
- Gloucester North DO (GL3 and GL4)
- Inverclyde DO (PA14, PA15, PA16, PA17, PA18 and PA19)
- Inverurie DO (AB51 and AB52)
- Johnstone DO (PA5, PA6, PA9, PA10 and PA12)
- Kettering DO (NN14, NN15 and NN16)
- Kidsgrove DO (ST7)
- Kingswood DO (BS15 and BS30)
- Letchworth DO (SG6, SG7, SG15 and SG16)
- Lichfield DO (WS7, WS13 and WS14)
- Lisburn DO (BT26, BT27 and BT28)
- Londonderry DO (BT47 and BT48)
- Medway Valley DO (ME6, ME18, ME19 and ME20)
- North Tyneside DO (NE25, NE26, NE27, NE28, NE29 and NE30)
- Northfield DO (B31)
- Northwich DO (CW8 and CW9)
- Nottingham South DO (NG2 and NG12)
- Paisley DO (PA1, PA2 and PA3)
- Plymouth North DO (PL2 and PL3)
- Plympton DO (PL7)
- Pontefract DO (WF7, WF8, WF9 and WF11)
- Prescot DO (L34 and L35)
- Renfrew DO (PA4)
- Seaham DO (SR7)
- Sleaford DO (NG34)
- St Helens DO (WA9, WA10 and WA11)
- Stalybridge SUDO (SK15)
- Thornbury DO (BS35)
- Tipton DO (DY4)
- Uddingston DO (G71)
- Warrington DO (WA1, WA2, WA4, WA5 and WA55)
- Wellington DO (TA21)
- Westhill DO (AB13, AB14 and AB32)
- Whitehaven DO (CA18, CA19, CA20, CA26 and CA28)
- Whitwood DO (WF6 and WF10)
- Wigan DO (WN1, WN2, WN3, WN4, WN5 and WN6)
The last posting dates are:
Last Royal Mail 2nd Class: Wednesday December 17
Last Parcelforce express48 date: Friday December 19
Last Royal Mail Tracked 48 date: Friday December 19
Last Evri Standard date: Friday December 19
Last Royal Mail 1st Class date: Saturday December 20
Last DPD 2Day date: Saturday December 20
Last Parcelforce express24 date: Monday December 22
Last Royal Mail Tracked 24 date: Monday December 22
Last Evri Next Day date: Monday December 22
Last DPD Next Day date: Monday December 22 (some postcode exceptions)
Royal Mail’s Special Delivery Guaranteed: Tuesday December 23
DPD Gold: Tuesday December 23
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