More than half of homes being hit - with the rest joining in the next 2 months - as expert explains 'dodges' to avoid problem
A BBC expert has highlighted new Royal Mail rules which are now in force, which are hitting deliveries. Appearing on BBC Morning Live, correspondent Colletta Smith said people were making changes to how they post important letters and documents because of the issues they’re facing.
She said people had been in touch with the BBC about delays, with no letters being delivered for weeks, in some cases. The Royal Mail is struggling with staff shortages, and it’s so bad that it highlights postcodes where regular deliveries are being interrupted across the UK and regularly updates them.
Ms Smith said that the Royal Mail is currently phasing out second-class deliveries at weekends - and is gradually introducing them around the country. Many places no longer get them - and it will finally come to an end by December, before the Christmas rush. In an update today Royal Mail has said half the UK no longer gets the deliveries. And Ms Smith said people don’t realise it’s also impacting deliveries during the week as well.
She explained: “Royal Mail has said we’re not going to deliver second-class post on a Saturday or a Sunday at all. They’re saying second-class post will only be brought to your door every other day. So in week one there, it would arrive Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of that week. Then the second week, the following week, they’d only bring it out on a Tuesday and a Thursday.
48 hour rule could lower your supermarket bills
'Half wait' to get £92 document Martin Lewis calls 'more important than will'
“So it’s every other week. day that they’re delivering it. And of course, depending on where you live, those weeks will flip around. So, it might be Monday, Wednesday, Friday for you, and then a few streets away, they’re getting it on a Tuesday and a Thursday. So, it’s not necessarily predictable for people to work out.
But the important thing for customers to understand is that you definitely won’t be receiving your second-class post every day. You should still be receiving your first class post every other every day, though. And standard bulk business letters are also moving to that sort of three day delivery aim.”
People had been in touch with the show to highlight delays. Ms Smith said: “Brian, who lives in Sheffield, says, ‘We’ve not received any mail for 14 days. We used to see a postman every day. Now, never see him and we’re waiting for important documents.’”
Betty said: “I missed an important hospital CT scan because the letter didn’t arrive in time. From looking at the date it had been sent, Royal Mail had held on to it for almost two weeks. Also, I ordered a network rail card and Royal Mail took a month to deliver that.”
In terms of practical advice, Ms Smith said people should look on the Royal Mail website to see if their area is hit. She said: “So, if your area is impacted or the one you’re sending it to is impacted, then it’s worth thinking to yourself, okay, I need to send this in really good time. But probably it’s worth doing that anyway, no matter whether it’s one of those ones listed or not.”
One hack is to send the important post as a parcel: “We’ve talked before about if you’ve got an important letter to send, you can pop it into a box and send it as a parcel. Now, it’s more expensive, but if you need something to get there and you’re sending it either via Royal Track or via another provider, then you that will often be a quicker, more guaranteed way of getting it there.
“And it’s also interesting that lots of people have been getting in touch with us at BBC Your Voice, saying they go to their local delivery office when they know there’s something that hasn’t arrived that they need to collect, and they ask for it. They turn up and ask for their own mail.
“That’s fine to ask. You might not get it. You might not be able to help them that day, but it’s worked for the customers who got in touch with us anyway.
Yeah. And it is worth reminding people, you know, don’t go down there looking for an argument or complaining. It’s not their fault. They’re trying their best.”
Last month, it was revealed that Royal Mail missed its delivery targets for first and second-class post, but said it is making progress towards the goals as its turnaround plan continues. The postal service delivered 85% of first-class deliveries the next day between March and June, up from 76% in the same three months of 2025, but below regulator Ofcom's 90% target.
Chief operating officer Jamie Stephenson said: "These results are encouraging and show that the work we are doing to improve the service is having an impact.
"First Class performance is well ahead of where we expected to be at this stage of our Improvement Plan, while Second Class is tracking in line with the plan."
Stephenson added that there is "more to do", pointing to a £500m investment plan to improve the firm over the next five years. The plan includes a commitment to meet Ofcom's delivery targets by May 2027.