Harwich MP presses Royal Mail over Essex post delays

In March, we reported that residents in eight north Essex postcode areas were facing disruption because of issues at Colchester’s Royal Mail delivery office.

The delivery office, in Moorside, was eventually removed from a published list of the Royal Mail offices worst affected by delays caused by factors like sickness and resourcing issues.

But Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin says many of his constituents, including residents in villages like Wormingford, Aldham, and Little Tey, are continuing to raise concerns about postal service delays.

Harwich MP has contacted Royal Mail boss

Sir Bernard has contacted Royal Mail to voice his concerns and has committed to raising the issue with Trade Minister Kevin Hollinrake if it goes unresolved.

Frustrated - Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin (Image: PA)

He said one constituent had complained about receiving a notification of a planning application submitted by a neighbour after the application had been decided, meaning they didn’t get an opportunity to comment on the proposals.

“Royal Mail has a legally binding obligation to deliver mail on time,” he added.

While residents in some areas of north Essex said they are receiving post regularly, some claimed they are continuing to fall victim to significant delays.

Colchester residents not receiving post 'for weeks'

Shelley March contacted Royal Mail after not receiving any letters for three weeks and claims she was told there were no reported delays.

She said: “The next day I got about six letters, then nothing again for another week, then four or five letters again, and then another week or so passed with no post. The last bit of post I had was last week.”

Postal service - Royal Mail has come under fire over delays in north Essex

Marion Ford said she had not received a bank statement for two months despite her bank confirming they had been sent.

“I am not very happy with my deliveries at the moment,” she added.

READ MORE:

• Postal delays in Colchester could 'take weeks' to resolve, reveals Royal Mail worker
• Colchester posties 'sick with stress' told to prioritise parcels, says whistleblower

Colchester city centre resident Diane Brown celebrated her birthday on Saturday but received three birthday cards, all bearing first class stamps and postmarks dated last week, on Monday.

Frustrated residents in north Colchester also expressed concerns over lengthy delays.

What does Royal Mail say?

Royal Mail has apologised to residents who have experienced delays and said it is committed to improving the quality of the service it provides and restoring service levels in line with its customers’ expectations.

A spokesman said: “While on occasion there are delays to our service, mail is being delivered daily across the county. When a person has mail to be delivered and does not receive it on the day they expect, we will always try to prioritise them the following day.

“We have plans in place to continue driving our service forward and encourage anyone who has concerns about their mail to please get in touch.”

No locations in Essex were named on Royal Mail’s list of most impacted delivery offices when checked by the Standard on Thursday.

Problem areas - no Essex delivery offices are listed on the Royal Mail website (Image: Royal Mail)

According to Royal Mail, delays to postal services in areas where the local delivery office isn’t listed are considered “minor”, with work underway to resolve any issues.

Sir Bernard was left frustrated by Royal Mail’s response.

The Conservative MP said: “The head office clearly doesn’t know what is going on locally and I will write again to Royal Mail’s chief executive. If I don’t get a result then ministers will have to intervene.”