‘We’ve had no post to our homes for 18 weeks’

Whipp said he had requested a meeting with Royal Mail senior managers who told him they “promised they would sort out the situation”.

“That’s probably six months ago now,” he said.

“I would say that we’ve been in this predicament for twelve to eighteen months.”

Under the Universal Service Obligation, Royal Mail has an obligation to deliver post in a timely manner and the council has made formal complaints.

“Quite frankly that doesn’t seem to make a jot of difference but we will continue to try”, Whipp added.

In a statement, Royal Mail said: “Recent resourcing challenges at Barnoldswick delivery office have had an impact on deliveries in the local area. Staff from neighbouring offices are assisting with deliveries and the office is clear of mail as of today.”

It added that the arrival of new staff in the coming weeks “will restore our service to its usual high standards”.