Royal Mail apology over lost passport and personal documents

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ROYAL Mail has issued an apology after it lost The Herald defence reporter's passport and sensitive information.

Tristan Nichols posted the package, which contained personal information intended for the Ministry of Defence, in Plymouth on January 6.

It was posted using the 'special delivery' service which the Royal Mail states ensures the item will be "guaranteed" to arrive by 1pm the next day.

But last night the intended recipient, based in Buckinghamshire, said the package had still not arrived – seven days later.

"To be honest I think it's appalling," said 32-year-old Tristan.

"I chose to send the package by special delivery as I wanted to ensure it arrived both safely, and as quickly as possible.

"It's one thing to have a Christmas card go missing in the post, but knowing that I may well have lost my passport and very sensitive and personal information is just disgusting.

"This acts as a security breach. It could end up in anyone's hands.

"You pay extra for the service and the 'guarantee' that it will arrive quicker than normal post. But here we are eight days on and it hasn't arrived at all."

The Royal Mail's online 'Track and Trace' feature states that the item is "currently progressing" through its network for delivery.

On Wednesday a Royal Mail manager announced she had "no idea" where it had gone, only confirming it had "left Plymouth".

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Royal Mail takes the safety and security of items in its care extremely seriously.

"Initial inquiries have failed to determine why this item has not reached the intended address.

"Our investigations continue and we will of course provide an update as soon as possible.

"In the meantime we apologise for the concern and inconvenience caused."

The Royal Mail spokesman also said the firm had "cleared the backlog" of letters and parcels delayed over the weather-hit Christmas period.

"Royal Mail delivered by Christmas the vast majority of the almost two billion letters, cards, packets and parcels posted in the run-up to Christmas," the spokesman added.

"We always welcome hearing from any customer who has a concern or a query about the service and we would urge them to contact our customer services team on 08457 740740, or via our web site: http://www.royalmail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.