THIS picture shows the huge challenge postmen face to clear a massive backlog of letters and parcels in time for Christmas.
Postboxes are full to bursting as postal workers struggle to cope with deliveries in the wake of the heavy snow blanketing the region.
A spokesman for Royal Mail has refused to guarantee post will reach its destination by Christmas Day.
As revealed in the Mail on Wednesday, some areas have now received no mail for almost a fortnight.
Now, workers have contacted the Mail to reveal that articulated lorries full of mail are being turned away from the Malmo Road sorting office, in east Hull, on a daily basis.
The depot has not taken a full delivery for two weeks.
But individual postmen and women, including Scott Mould, 34, have vowed to go above and beyond to deliver packages and cards to all their customers by December 25.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said it was working hard to keep mail moving.
They said: "We apologise to customers who have experienced delays and we can assure them that all our staff in the area continue to work hard to keep the mail moving so we can deliver to all addresses where it is possible to do so.
"We are bringing in additional people at Hull Mail Centre, over and above our usual employment of seasonal temporary staff, to deal with the increased volume of mail at this time of year, including items delayed by the severe weather conditions."
But one postman, who did not wish to be named, sent the Mail a photo of the packed mailroom at Malmo Road.
He said: "The situation at the moment is chaotic, we have been turning articulated lorries away every day, that are full of mail.
"In ten years as a postman I've never seen anything like it – mail has been stored everywhere from corridors to the games room."
The delivery worker said the post was being stored on "every available inch of floor".
He said: "Obviously, this is our busiest time of the year anyway, but the volume of mail and parcels in our building is up tenfold on a normal Christmas.
"And that's without the mail that has had to be stored in various units specially rented to cope with this situation.
"Unless extra staff are brought in, this backlog will not be cleared in time for Christmas."
Readers have expressed their annoyance at being told they cannot go along to sorting offices in the region to collect their mail themselves.
The Mail asked the Royal Mail what proportion of deliveries was being made at the moment, and to respond to descriptions of the situation at Malmo Road.
The organisation did not answer the questions.
The postal crisis will be helped by the weather over the next few days.
Hull and East Riding should avoid further snowfall, according to the Met Office.
Royal Mail has advised customers not to delay in posting letters and cards. The recommended last posting dates are Wednesday, December 15 for standard parcels, Saturday, December 18 for Second Class items, Tuesday, December 21 for First Class mail and packets, and Thursday, December 23 for Special Delivery.
