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15
Dec
Royal Mail responds to claims Harrogate post is 'a huge mess' in run-up to Christmas
Royal Mail has issued a response after Harrogate residents told us they were not receiving postal deliveries in the run-up to Christmas.
Three separate residents contacted the Stray Ferret about disruption to regular deliveries. One even claimed he had not received any post for almost two weeks.
Paul Kelley, who lives on St James' Drive, got in touch on Saturday (December 13) to say he had only received one visit from his local postman last week.
He added:
Our local postman says Harrogate post is in a huge mess due to lack of staff and lack of recruitment of temporary staff to cover the extra Christmas volume. He says they have been told to prioritise parcels and to leave regular letters. I have missing post from Harrogate [District] Hospital, so it's not just Christmas cards.
Castle Hill Grove resident Bruce Allison told the Stray Ferret he too only one received postal delivery last week.
He said:
Obviously, you expect some disruption to regular deliveries at this time of year but to have one massive delivery last Tuesday and nothing since seems to us a bit odd.
Fortunately, we are not waiting for anything urgent as so much comes by email now.
I have gone to the Royal Mail website, which lists a number of postcodes nationally where they are experiencing problems, but none of the HG codes are mentioned.
Tony Hallinan
Tony Hallinan, 79, who lives just off Leeds Road, said he had not received any post since December 3.
Mr Hallinan said he has struggled to find any information about the delays online and, due to his age, is not easily able to go to the sorting office.
Harrogate's Royal Mail delivery office.
'Our teams work to resolve any delays as quickly as possible'
The Stray Ferret put the residents’ concerns to Royal Mail.
We asked why regular services appear to be so delayed and if local postal workers have been told to prioritise parcels and cards over letters.
A spokesperson said:
We know how important letters and parcels are in the run-up to Christmas, and while this is a very busy period, the vast majority are continuing to be delivered on time. Where a route is affected, our teams work to resolve any delays as quickly as possible.
Last year, 99% of items posted by the last recommended posting dates were delivered in time for Christmas, and our teams are focused on maintaining that level of service again this year.
However, Royal Mail has admitted parcels can be prioritised when volume doubles during the Christmas period and sorting offices become congested.
It said this is because parcels take up more space and, when delivered in large numbers, can “block walkways and create health and safety risks”.
They added: “In those moments, clearing parcels first is sometimes necessary to keep offices safe and to ensure all mail, including letters, continues to move through the network".
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