Mail 'chaos for Christmas' - Sheffield residents say post arriving weeks late after Royal Mail reorganisation

A woman from Broomhill waited almost three weeks to receive post delivered by Royal Mail after a reorganisation saw rounds reduced from 46 to 40, and she says that others in her area have had the same experience.

Hilary Gerrans ordered several items on Ebay on October 19 and they did not arrive at her home until November 8, meaning she had to wait 20 days for her delivery.

Hiliary said: “I contacted Royal Mail and they told me there was a problem with the office. I went to Tapton Hill Road delivery office and I was told by staff was a reorganisation there, and they had reduced the number of rounds from 46 to 40. This meant that they would only need one manager. A large amount of mail was ranked as critical. People at the post office are describing it as chaos.

"Another item has been marked as signed for by me but has not been delivered to me. They are signing them themselves with a cross - that was £50 worth of stuff.

"I am having to apply for refunds. People are going to stop delivering to this area if everyone is requesting refunds. You have got to be able to rely on the mail.

"People in my neighbourhood WhatsApp group and where I live were saying the same thing, that they weren’t getting their post on time. I have got my grandchildren’s birthdays coming up and need to buy presents for them. A three week delay at this time of year does not bode well for Christmas.”

Some Sheffielders took to Twitter to voice concern about their deliveries. One Twitter user named Laura, from the S5 area of Sheffield, said: “I haven’t had any post delivered in two weeks.

"Despite having several parcels and letters supposed to be delivered.”

Another Twitter user, named Gavin, said: “People aren’t getting their mail for days here in Sheffield. They are missing hospital appointments because the letter arrives later than the appointment. People are saying they get mail once a week tied up in bundle. This is unacceptable.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We apologise to any customers who have experienced any disruption to their service in recent weeks in the Broomhill area.

"The vast majority of mail and parcels are delivered safely and on time. There are a number of factors that can disrupt our service including COVID-related self-isolation, sickness absence and vacancies.

"In recent weeks, we have implemented revisions to our postmen and women’s routes in Sheffield West to ensure that they reflect changes in the local area, such as new developments, and are fairer and more balanced to reflect the growth in parcel deliveries.

"This has led to some disruption as the changes are implemented. We are working hard to rectify any remaining issues and normal service is now beginning to resume within the office.

“Anyone who has further concerns over the delivery of their mail should contact the Royal Mail customer service team on 03457 740 740 or via the Royal Mail website: www.royalmail.com.”