South Cheshire postal service one of worst in Britain

[TrueBlueTerrier]

South Cheshire postal service one of worst in Britain according to new figures

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/ne ... ticle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RESIDENTS and businesses in South Cheshire are suffering the second-worst postal service in mainland Britain.

Latest Royal Mail performance figures show posties in the CW area delivered 88.9 per cent of first-class mail on time between June 7 to September 5.

It means only residents in Wigan have a worse postal service across the 121 main postcodes in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Nationally an average of 93.7 per cent of first-class mail arrived on time, ahead of Royal Mail's 93 per cent target.


In Stoke-on-Trent 92.2 per cent of first-class post was delivered on time.

Politicians and business leaders today blamed the poor CW performance on the closure of Crewe's Royal Mail sorting office on August 16.

Work from the Weston Road depot was transferred to Warrington, along with 600 jobs, after an 18-month fight to keep the Crewe centre open failed.

John Dunning, chief executive of South Cheshire Chamber of Trade, which campaigned against the closure with Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson, said: "The service to businesses in the Crewe area since the closure of the sorting office has been absolutely appalling.

"Both Edward Timpson and I have written to Royal Mail to complain and lots of businesses have called us to say they have suffered delays.

"Royal Mail has assured us that it is getting things back on track and we wait to see evidence of that."

Mr Timpson, below, who wants to meet Royal Mail, added: "We don't need an official report to tell us how bad the service has become for Crewe and Nantwich.

"I always said the postal service would suffer when Royal Mail decided to take so many jobs away from Crewe, but they didn't listen."

Ollie Slinn, Communication Workers' Union delivery representative for Crewe, said that workers are determined to get the service right following the closure of the Crewe sorting office. He said: "Royal Mail is going through a difficult period of modernisation.

"I'm still a postie, but our way of working has totally changed.

"The mail now comes pre-sorted sequentially from Warrington and we are working in twos rather than on our own.

"It's been a more difficult transition than any of us expected and we're asking the public to be patient."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "The latest quality of service report covers June to September when our new mail centre in Warrington was experiencing some temporary teething problems which have now been addressed.

"We have made essential changes to our delivery operation in Crewe and apologise to any customers who have experienced mail delays."

The Sentinel reported in September how 94.1 per cent of first-class mail was delivered on time in the ST area between March 22 and June 6. In the CW area, 92.1 per cent of post was delivered on time.