Houses in Sheffield left without post 'for a week' as Royal Mail confirms Covid staff shortages

People living in the S5 postcode area of Sheffield – which inclues Parson Cross, Southey Green, Shiregreen, Fir Vale and Shirecliffe – say they have been missing out on letters because of a ‘postie shortage.’

One resident, who declined to be named, said: “People are saying the exact same thing all over S5. I eventually got through to Royal Mail and they confirmed a staff shortage and said they don't know how long it will go on for.”

A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed problems in the area and said: “From the start of this crisis, we always said that despite our best endeavours, it is possible that some areas of the country may experience a reduction in service levels due to Coronavirus-related absences at their local mail centre or delivery office.

"Following a number of absences in the Sheffield North East Delivery Office, we have been working hard to deliver the most comprehensive service we can to all our customers in challenging circumstances throughout this period.

"We have introduced a number of social distancing measures to our operation to offer further protection for our colleagues and our customers.

"We are proud of all our colleagues across the UK for helping to keep the nation connected in such challenging circumstances.

"We always endeavour to keep our customers as informed as we can of any changes to our services.

"We have a dedicated section on our website https://www.royalmail.com/coronavirus.

"We thank customers for their patience during this difficult time.”