RESIDENTS living in Old Colwyn claim to be waiting weeks for their post to arrive, with one councillor claiming a cancer patient missed a vital hospital scan after an appointment letter arrived too late.
Conwy County Council councillor Cheryl Carlisle claimed residents in parts of Old Colwyn were receiving their post approximately once a fortnight.
Royal Mail said that while some post could be affected by “short-term local issues”, delays of long periods were “exceptionally unusual”.
Cllr Carlisle said: “For several months now, we have been having an ever-decreasing service in Old Colwyn, particularly here in Colwyn ward, the areas of Tan Y Lan and Llysfaen Road and Abergele Road, plus most of Old Colwyn’s postcodes.
“At the moment, mail is being delivered, both first and second class, approximately once a fortnight. They are delivered in large bundles, held together with rubber bands, containing up to 20 pieces of mail at a time.
“I am having numerous daily calls and messages from residents saying they are waiting for hospital appointments, bank cards, legal documents, bills, etc., and they are becoming really upset and understandably angry.
“Both myself and Darren Millar (Senedd Member) have repeatedly contacted Royal Mail for this area, but all we get is a standard response saying they note concerns, or it is a staffing issue.”
She added: “A cancer patient in my ward missed a vital scan the other day, as the appointment letter arrived the day after she should have attended hospital. This is literally life and death in some cases and cannot be allowed to continue.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman acknowledged the post could be affected by “short-term local issues” but claimed delays of long periods was “exceptionally unusual”.
“We know how important it is for letters to arrive when expected, particularly where they relate to hospital appointments, bills, financial documents, or other time-sensitive matters,” she said.
“Mail continues to be delivered across Old Colwyn every day. However, individual routes can occasionally be affected by short-term local issues, and where this happens, any outstanding mail is prioritised for delivery as quickly as possible, alongside time-sensitive items such as first-class mail and medical letters.”
She added: “Nationally, more than 93% of all letters are currently delivered on time and over 99% within a week, meaning longer delays are rare.
“A delay of several weeks would be exceptionally unusual and would be more likely to indicate an issue with an individual item.”