Many have missed essential prescriptions, documents, bank statements and credit cards
Residents in a Somerset town have been left having to queue for hours to pick up essential post after going more than a month without deliveries due to a Royal Mail staffing crisis.
Pictures taken this week shows huge lines outside a delivery office from locals desperate to pick up vital parcels.
Royal Mail blamed staff sickness on the delays but customers in Bridgwater say they have been left without any post including essential prescriptions, documents, bank statements and credit cards.
Some say they've not received any mail now for up to six weeks and have missed important appointments due to the delays.
They have been given two hour time slots between 8am-10am and 4pm-6pm during which they can pick up their post resulting in huge queues outside Friarn Street Royal Mail delivery office.
Support worker Tina Hucker, 56, spent her day off waiting in line to find out if her prescription medications were being held at the depot.
She said: "As things have happened now, I've come here several times and the queues have been horrendous.
"I'm coming back to give it a last go, or I'm going to have to order more meds again, but I don't know if they'll turn up as they normally do because of this issue.
"I don't want to over-order meds if they're just sat here. If I order more meds, will I get the same problem again? Will the doctor approve them? The doctor only approves what's needed.
"I can't remember the last time I got post - months. I've had to park over the other side of town to wait in the queue.
"I've never seen this before. I don't know how long it's going to be, or if I'll get in before six o'clock.
"Luckily it's my day off today, so I'm able to come and wait here."
Jerry Lomax, a local resident who is planning on going on holiday next week, said he has been waiting for a credit card for over a fortnight.
"They keep telling me I need to activate it, otherwise they're going to null and void it," he said.
"How long am I going to have to wait?
"I can't do the morning times, because I'm working.
Residents in a Somerset town have been left having to queue for hours to pick up essential post after going more than a month without deliveries due to a Royal Mail staffing crisis.
Pictures taken this week shows huge lines outside a delivery office from locals desperate to pick up vital parcels.
Royal Mail blamed staff sickness on the delays but customers in Bridgwater say they have been left without any post including essential prescriptions, documents, bank statements and credit cards.
Some say they've not received any mail now for up to six weeks and have missed important appointments due to the delays.
They have been given two hour time slots between 8am-10am and 4pm-6pm during which they can pick up their post resulting in huge queues outside Friarn Street Royal Mail delivery office.
Support worker Tina Hucker, 56, spent her day off waiting in line to find out if her prescription medications were being held at the depot.
"I don't want to over-order meds if they're just sat here. If I order more meds, will I get the same problem again? Will the doctor approve them? The doctor only approves what's needed.
"I can't remember the last time I got post - months. I've had to park over the other side of town to wait in the queue.
"I've never seen this before. I don't know how long it's going to be, or if I'll get in before six o'clock.
"Luckily it's my day off today, so I'm able to come and wait here."
Jerry Lomax, a local resident who is planning on going on holiday next week, said he has been waiting for a credit card for over a fortnight.
"They keep telling me I need to activate it, otherwise they're going to null and void it," he said.
"How long am I going to have to wait?
"I can't do the morning times, because I'm working.
"I work until 5pm tomorrow, so there's no chance I'll have time - then on Thursday, I'm supposed to be flying to Lisbon.
"If I didn't have important documents, I'd probably let it go, but it's stuff I need."
75-year-old retiree Jon Smith has also faced issues over the delays, stating: "I haven't had any post in a long while - three, maybe four weeks- and somebody told me they're holding all the post here for collection.
"I've been waiting for different things like bank statements."
Partners Kieron and Shannon expressed concern over elderly and disabled residents, who may be unable to wait in long queues by a busy road.
Kieron said: "It's quite an inconvenience. The queue the other day was all the way down the road - waiting for hours to pick up our post.
"It's time-consuming - people have other things to do. We've had to do it a couple of times now.
"I can imagine for people with disabilities, it's not easy. It's not exactly safe for us just sat on the road - it's not ideal."
Kieron said: "It's quite an inconvenience. The queue the other day was all the way down the road - waiting for hours to pick up our post.
"It's time-consuming - people have other things to do. We've had to do it a couple of times now.
"I can imagine for people with disabilities, it's not easy. It's not exactly safe for us just sat on the road - it's not ideal."
He said: "We're getting no post, and a lot of this is strange.
"Some people are saying it's a couple of hours they've been here for.
"It is an inconvenience - you expect your mail to come to your house, that's the service."
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.”