Residents in the rural Somerset village of Ashcott have raised concerns about increasing delays in postal deliveries that have left people receiving mail up to three weeks late.
Frustrated locals have complained about the delays, and claimed they were told by Royal Mail delivery staff in the village that only parcels and first-class post are being prioritised.
A Royal Mail spokesperson has denied this is their policy, but said: "At times of high demand, where there are large volumes of parcels and letters moving through the network, local teams may need to prioritise the most time-sensitive items first, such as First Class and medical letters.
They added: "This would be a short-term operational decision made on the day, not a policy."
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Michael Rees, who lives in the village, said that he's noticed a significant decline in postal delivery times since the beginning of the year, and has made complaints to the local and regional postal hubs.
Michael said: "Our post has been very slack this year, since January. It's hit or miss. A lot of the time it's a maximum of one delivery a week."
Michael said he's been supporting an elderly neighbour to complain about the issue, adding she had received up to three weeks worth of post in one bundle. He said he'd placed the pile of letters on a scale and it weighed over two and a half pounds - just over a kilogram.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We know how important it is for people to receive their post reliably, especially when it contains personal, financial or medical information.
“We aim to deliver all mail to its relevant timescale and take concerns about delays seriously. Any customer experiencing a specific issue with their mail should contact our Customer Services team so it can be looked into.
“Improving quality of service is our top priority. Nationally, around 92% of letters are currently arriving on time and over 99% within a week, but we know there is more to do to deliver the reliable service customers expect.
“That is why we are making changes through our new delivery model, backed by our Improvement Plan, to improve reliability for customers across the UK.”
