Royal Mail has issued a nationwide alert as mail deliveries are delayed across 121 UK postcodes. The disruption affects parts of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 38 delivery offices experiencing significant operational issues.
The postal operator confirmed that the delays stem from a combination of road network problems, incorrect mail routing, and internal resource challenges. While air services remain on schedule, road transport setbacks are impacting daily deliveries, which Royal Mail says they aim to complete six days a week.
Misrouted Mail and Road Delays Disrupt Deliveries
Royal Mail’s recent announcement points to a series of errors within the mail handling and delivery system, notably including mail that was mistakenly diverted to Scotland instead of Northern Ireland. According to the Mirror, these routing mistakes, combined with road network problems, have slowed down mail distribution in affected areas.
The Birmingham Mail Centre, a major processing hub, has been named among those struggling to process and dispatch all mail on time. In a public statement, Royal Mail said it continues to “aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week,” but admitted this might not be possible in some areas due to “local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors.” In total, 38 delivery offices are currently affected, including locations such as:
- Aberdare DO (CF44, CF45)
- Ashington DO (NE22, NE62, NE63, NE64)
- Banbridge DO (BT32)
- Barry DO (CF62, CF63)
- Batley DO (WF5, WF15-WF17)
- Belfast East DO (BT4-BT6, BT16)
- Bridgend CF DO (CF31-CF33, CF35)
- Chichester DO (PO18-PO20)
- Deeside DO (CH5)
- Egremont DO (CA21-CA25, CA27)
- Glaisdale Parkway DO (NG7, NG8)
- Hull Central DO (HU1-HU3, HU5, HU9, HU12, HU19)
- Hyde DO (SK13, SK14, SK16)
- Johnstone DO (PA5, PA6, PA9, PA10, PA12)
- Leicester East DO (LE2, LE5-LE7)
- Lisburn DO (BT26-BT28)
- Mid Rhondda Ganol DO (CF39-CF40)
- Newcastle West DO (NE5, NE15)
- North Tyneside DO (NE25-NE30)
- Nuneaton DO (CV10-CV11, CV13)
- Orton Southgate DO (PE2, PE7-PE9)
- Pontefract DO (WF7, WF8, WF9, WF11)
- Ponteland DO (NE18-NE20)
- Pontyclun DO (CF72)
- Pontypridd DO (CF37, CF38, CF46)
- Prenton DO (CH43)
- Sandbach DO (CW11)
- Shepshed (LE12)
- Shrewsbury DO (SY1-SY5)
- Sleaford DO (NG34)
- Spennymoor DO (DL16-DL17)
- Sunderland DO (SR1-SR6, SR9)
- Swan House DO (LE1, LE3, LE7-LE9, LE19, LE95)
- Swindon DO (SN1-SN3, SN6, SN25-SN26, SN38, SN99)
- Tarporley DO (CW6)
- Towcester SUDO (NN12)
- Uddingston DO (G71)
- Waterlooville DO (PO7-PO8)
Localised Staffing Problems and Targeted Response
While misrouted mail and road transport problems contribute to the national issue, internal staffing shortfalls appear to be a recurring factor across many of the affected delivery offices. Royal Mail has pointed to “high levels of sick absence” as one of the key reasons behind local delivery delays, particularly in smaller or rural offices.
In an effort to manage these disruptions, Royal Mail explained that it is rotating deliveries within the affected offices to “minimise the delay to individual customers,” according to the Express. They added that additional support is being sent to help these locations restore regular service levels, although a timeline for resolution has not been given.
Royal Mail concluded its update with an apology, stating: “We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.” Although no long-term service interruption has been declared, the scale and breadth of the current disruption make it one of the most widespread postal delays reported in recent months.
