Royal Mail pledges to deliver backlog 'within a week'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.scotsman.com/news/Royal-Mail ... 6684002.jp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ROYAL Mail bosses today insisted they would be "back on track" with deliveries within a week amid claims of a giant mail backlog in Edinburgh.

The Evening News told yesterday how union leaders reported that 2.5 million pieces of new mail were stuck at the Sighthill sorting office because posties were still delivering 300,000 parcels and letters backlogged since early December.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said staff were working round the clock to deliver both Christmas and up-to-date post. She said the system in the main Sighthill sorting centre was "fluid", and that bosses would continue to hire a temporary parcel sorting centre in Bathgate until the end of January.

Royal Mail also denied the Christmas backlog was so big, but would not confirm how much mail had been delayed.

The spokeswoman said: "The volume of mail we have in our system changes constantly and changes every hour. It is a fluid situation and we are doing extra deliveries and delivering mail to some customers on Sunday. We expect to be back on track next week.

"There is no truth (in reports] that 2.5 million items of mail are sitting in Edinburgh Mail Centre."

She added that a number of temporary seasonal workers, who would usually finish up their shifts on Christmas Eve, will be working next week to help process the mail.

Evening News readers continued to vent their frustrations as they waited on Christmas presents, cards and letters dating back as early as the start of December.

Some said they had received more than two dozen pieces of post in the past two days, indicating that the mountain of mail is starting to break down. But many reported that they were aware of presents and Christmas cards they had been sent that were not yet delivered.

Brian Healy, 39, from Livingston, said: "In the weeks that the region has been blighted by snow and ice, I've had about eight deliveries of mail, three of which came on the same day. I'm still receiving Christmas cards and letters postmarked almost one month ago."

Suzanne Shinnie, an IT worker based on Hill Street, said her mother's Christmas presents arrived only yesterday. She added: "I'm still waiting for my boyfriend's main Christmas present to arrive. I think we'll be celebrating Christmas in June."

A Leith-based resident who asked not to be named said she was waiting for an order that should have arrived in early December. She said: "Before Christmas, I understood the delay. But it's so frustrating that it's still not here a month after it was posted."

Several Edinburgh residents also reported that mail they had sent to others living in the Capital had taken up to a fortnight to deliver.

The Royal Mail spokeswoman explained the processing system was the same for mail sent from Edinburgh as it is for mail sent from London.

[andy2007]

Is this guy real?
I sincerely hope they do, catch up the backlog within a week. But I think I've more chance of winning the jackpot on the Lottery, without even buying a ticket!

[fishtank]

Is this guy real?
I sincerely hope they do, catch up the backlog within a week. But I think I've more chance of winning the jackpot on the Lottery, without even buying a ticket!

They didn't say they would catch up Andy....they inferred it without promising anything.
What does "back on track" actually mean?.....It means feck all.
My training for the 100m at London 2012...is "back on track".

[steven100]

It means they will bully and harass people to take out more mail than can be achieved within their timespan. I experienced it today.

[NWpostie]

It means they will bully and harass people to take out more mail than can be achieved within their timespan. I experienced it today.

I hope you told them to Foxtrot Oscar

[guvenor]

dont think so more snow on way for scotland

[Pinky 1]

Is this guy real?
I sincerely hope they do, catch up the backlog within a week. But I think I've more chance of winning the jackpot on the Lottery, without even buying a ticket!

They didn't say they would catch up Andy....they inferred it without promising anything.
What does "back on track" actually mean?.....It means feck all.
My training for the 100m at London 2012...is "back on track".

Not with that dodgy fecking knee of yours it aint

[DGP1]

Is this guy real?
I sincerely hope they do, catch up the backlog within a week. But I think I've more chance of winning the jackpot on the Lottery, without even buying a ticket!

They didn't say they would catch up Andy....they inferred it without promising anything.
What does "back on track" actually mean?.....It means feck all.
My training for the 100m at London 2012...is "back on track".

Not with that dodgy fecking knee of yours it aint

Who are you talking about because nearly all of us have didgy knees

[Pinky 1]

What are didgy knees DG ?

[baldrick]

What are didgy knees DG ?

It's Irish for fecked.

[Pinky 1]

This time of night he's probably locked in his shed with a laptop, and pissed

[DGP1]

This time of night he's probably locked in his shed with a laptop, and pissed

Stop watching that web cam, can't a weirdo have some privacy