Related Articles
Postal issues continue to plague Oxford and people are still waiting weeks for important mail.
Over the last few weeks a huge number of people in Oxford and the wider county have reported issues with their post, with many not seeing their postie for days or weeks at a time.
People who live in Blackbird Leys, Headington, Wantage and now Summertown have flagged the issues to the Oxford Mail.
Those who live in these areas have been left ‘furious’ at the lack of regular postal deliveries, with many citing the missing items and letters as time sensitive and important.
Blackbird Leys
At the end of October, Blackbird Leys residents complained their mail had not been delivered for more than five days.
Sylvia Hayes, 79, who lives off Kestrel Crescent, said she had been waiting for her post for two weeks.
She added: “I have been waiting for a new bank card for two weeks but haven’t been getting any post so I can’t get any money out.
“I am nearly 80 and I am disabled so I really rely on my card for shopping and paying bills.”
READ MORE: Royal Mail delays: Blackbird Leys
Mazo Maisey was also waiting for a new debit card – the bank said it posted the card on October 14, yet over two weeks later Mazo still has not received it.
He said: “I get paid this month’s wages on Friday, but I won’t be able to withdraw it as they have cancelled the card now, as they assumed it had got lost in the post.”
Wantage
Residents in Wantage also complained about the lack of mail deliveries on the Wantage and Grove community Facebook page.
Clara Irons commented: “I haven’t had any post but still waiting for birthday cards that was posted to us on October 9. I am not holding out much hope that they will arrive.”
Tracy Thomas said: “We had nothing for ages and then about 10 envelopes yesterday. Oldest letter was dated from early October so guessing it was at least a week’s worth.”
A Wantage resident, who requested to be kept anonymous, said: “Royal Mail as a company is at fault for staff shortages. But it is always the postal workers who get the stick for it.
“They are over worked and underpaid and understaffed and doing the best they can. Considering the mass amount of people now order online. And they are prioritising packages which is wrong as people are suffering late fees for bills because they are not receiving there post.”
READ MORE: Wantage residents left waiting for their post in Royal Mail delays
Wantage residents have previously had problems with delivery delays from Royal Mail.
In June, MP David Johnston started to work to resolve ongoing problems with Royal Mail services in Wantage, Grove, Didcot, Wallingford and some surrounding villages following the very first complaint he received on August 10 last year.
People complained they did not receive anniversary cards, Christmas cards and important documents on time.
Headington
In recent weeks, another person reached out to the Oxford Mail with postal woes.
Pat Ross, who lives in Headington, said she have received no post for two weeks although she ‘usually get post every day’.
Mrs Ross said that it is ‘impossible’ to get through to the Cowley delivery office.
Like Wantage, this is not the first time this area has experienced postal delays.
Back in January people were left waiting more than a fortnight for parcels to be delivered.
READ MORE: Oxford post delays: another area affected
Summertown
On Friday, November 12 Mark Block contacted the Oxford Mail and said he was still waiting for a first-class letter a week after it was meant to arrive.
Mr Block, 49, who works in publishing, said the letter was for a voucher for an eye test.
The delay has left him wondering “When are we going to get our mail in Oxford?”
Mr Block said he visited the Oxford Delivery Office to find out what was causing the issues and was told by a postal worker that a ‘new system’ was blame. According to the postal worker the system issues are now resolved but it has left a large backlog of post.
Royal Mail were approached about this ‘new system’ causing issues but failed to provide a comment.
What has Royal Mail said?
Royal Mail has apologised for the delays in Oxfordshire and explained it has been experiencing ‘resourcing issues’, but it is still aiming to deliver ‘at least every other day’.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “In the local area, we are currently experiencing some resourcing issues which we are addressing as quickly as possible.
“We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for six days a week. If resourcing issues prevent this, we’ll deliver at least every other day.
“We apologise to customers for any inconvenience they may experience as we work hard to resolve the situation.”
–
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on news@nqo.com or 01865 425 445.
