Residents in Bridgwater and surrounding areas have reported waiting up to three weeks for post, with some saying delayed deliveries have affected prescriptions, appointments and parcels.
Concerns have been raised about postal delays in and around Bridgwater after residents said they had gone weeks without deliveries and faced long queues and short opening hours when trying to collect mail in person.
Royal Mail have issued an update saying they're addressing the backlog, as MP Ashley Fox weighs in on the issue.
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Some people have said important post has not arrived, leaving them to miss hospital and dental appointments.
Others said they had been forced to collect letters and parcels from Bridgwater’s Royal Mail delivery office on Friarn Street, where limited opening hours has led to queues and some customers claiming to have been turned away at closing time.
Tim Woodason, 62, from Edington, said a prescription due to be delivered on August 9 through a 48-hour service had still not arrived by the time he visited the Royal Mail delivery office on August 19.
He said he also had not received birthday cards sent to his wife later that month.
Mr Woodason said he waited around half an hour at the delivery office, alongside other residents who were also trying to collect delayed post.
He told the Bridgwater Mercury: “I would estimate the lack of letters to be approximately three weeks and counting and even before that we were only getting deliveries once a week - evident by the free elastic band we would get each time with a large bundle."
He added: “It has been stressful, particularly the lack of prescription drugs and missing letters.”
Vacancies for postal delivery workers in Bridgwater are currently being advertised on the Royal Mail website.
MP says Royal Mail service is "not good enough"
Ashley Fox, MP for Bridgwater, said he had raised concerns directly with Royal Mail after residents reported waiting weeks between deliveries.
He said: “I’m aware of the problems many people are currently having with Royal Mail deliveries across our area.
“Quite simply, the service in some parts of the constituency is not good enough with some residents reportedly waiting weeks between deliveries.
“I have already raised these concerns directly with Royal Mail and will be doing so again.”
Mr Fox said he had carried out a survey on Royal Mail performance across the constituency within three months of being elected in 2024, and planned to launch another survey next month to help identify where problems were occurring.
He added: “We are keeping a proper log of cases, which will help provide evidence when I continue discussions with Royal Mail.”
Royal Mail blames staff sickness for delays
A Royal Mail spokesperson said short-term staff sickness had affected deliveries in parts of Bridgwater.
They said: “We know how important it is that customers receive their mail when expected and take concerns about deliveries very seriously.
“Short-term sickness has affected deliveries in parts of Bridgwater. Additional staffing is now in place and our posties are working to clear any outstanding mail as quickly as possible.
"We expect services in the affected areas to return to normal over the coming week.”