A councillor has called for urgent action over delays in mail deliveries, as some residents claim to have not received post for almost a month.
Richard Udall, who represents St John on Worcester City Council, said the delays have become 'critical', with some people missing hospital appointments and court dates as a result of late deliveries.
He said: "I have received quite a few complaints about late delivery of mail, sometimes taking up to a month to deliver.
"I have been told this is due to staff shortages, but that should not be used as an excuse.
"The issue is critical with people receiving late papers for court cases and hospital appointments.
"Residents claim they have missed hospital appointments and court dates because of the mail not arriving on time, some have said they have not received mail for nearly a month."
Cllr Udall said he had been told by postal workers that Royal Mail were only delivering when a resident has either a first class letter or parcel, and everything is held back.
Royal Mail has denied this.
Cllr Udall added: "Residents claim they have missed hospital appointments and court dates because of the mail not arriving on time, and some have said they have not received mail for nearly a month.
"This is not good enough, we need urgent action."
A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: "We know how important reliable deliveries are, particularly when people are waiting for hospital appointments, court correspondence or other important letters.
“At times, individual deliveries may be affected by short-term local issues, and where this happens our teams work to clear any outstanding mail as quickly as possible, with items not delivered that day prioritised for the next working day.
“Second Class mail continues to be delivered as part of our normal service and is not dependent on there also being a First Class item for an address.
"Our current performance shows that 92% of all letters are delivered on time and over 99% within a week, meaning longer delays are rare.
"However, we know there is more to do and remain focused on improving reliability for all customers.”