Many homes and businesses won’t receive their mail this weekend
Royal Mail has issued a delay warning for certain UK postcodes this weekend. The delivery firm aims to post letters to homes and businesses six days a week, with parcel deliveries also taking place on Sundays.
However, there is disruption across some delivery offices this weekend. As of Saturday, May 9, there are delays impacting 20 postcode areas including Kidderminster, New Ferry and Tweedale.
Royal Mail said: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week. In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors.
“In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers. We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive.”
It added: “We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
This week, there was a delay to all mail across the UK due to the Early May Bank Holiday. Royal Mail said there were “no deliveries or collections” made on Monday, May 4. It said: “We deliver and collect your mail on most days of the year, including Saturdays. However, we don’t usually deliver or collect on public or local holidays.”
The delays come as Royal Mail vowed to meet its letter delivery targets by May 2027 as part of a £500 million turnaround. There has been criticism over late deliveries, as the firm was even hit with a fine. Royal Mail was fined £21 million by Ofcom in October for missing targets after it delivered just 77% of First Class post and 92.5% of Second Class post on time in 2024-25.
Last month, Ofcom lowered the delivery targets for First Class post to be delivered the next day from 93% to 90% and Second Class to be delivered within three days from 98.5% to 95%.
To help meet the targets, Royal Mail is planning to axe its Saturday Second Class deliveries and move to alternate weekdays – three days one week, and two days the next.
Royal Mail said it will improve First Class Next Day delivery to around 85% within nine months, before reaching the 90% target set by regulator Ofcom within a year.
The firm also vowed to deliver 93% of Second Class letters within three days over the course of nine months, and to hit the 95% target by May next year.
Royal Mail delays this weekend
- Alfreton DO (DE55)
- Erskine DO (PA7, PA8)
- Kidderminster DO (DY10, DY11, DY12, DY14)
- Kidlington DO (OX5, OX20)
- New Ferry DO (CH32, CH62, CH63)
- Sunbury On Thames DO (TW16)
- Tweedale DO (TF3, TF4, TF7, TF8, TF12)
- Upton DO (CH30, CH49)
