Northumberland - Post apocalypse

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/ ... _1_2845119" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ROYAL Mail bosses have apologised to north Northumberland residents for postal delays caused by the severe winter weather.

The sheer volume of snow which fell and blocked roads had a massive impact on deliveries of letters and parcels, with some outlying villages receiving no post for days at a time.

Alnwick’s sorting office on Greensfield Industrial Estate didn’t receive any mail for three days, but when it finally landed last Tuesday and Wednesday it caused a considerable backlog for staff.

Michael Brewis, based at the office, said: “We’ve really been on the back foot, particularly with parcels giving us big problems. Staff came in on Sunday to get through the backlog. We’ve been trying our best but it hasn’t been possible for some of our vans to deliver a full duty during the course of a day because it is taking so long to get to some places.”

Alison Wright, Royal Mail Operations Director for the North East, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, said: “We apologise to those customers who have experienced delays to their deliveries as a result of the severe weather. I’d like to stress that we are continuing to deliver to the majority of addresses across Northumberland.

“Unfortunately, in some cases it is simply not currently possible to do so because of the weather, which has worsened in some areas in recent days. A range of measures have been put in place to ensure deliveries reach people as quickly as possible.”

At Monday night’s Felton Parish Council concerns were raised about the amount of mail left in postboxes in the village because of the snow.

Coun Marion Clark said: “There hasn’t been a collection for five days.

“If they can deliver the mail they should be able to get a person to the post office to collect it.”

Clerk Lisa Hamlin, who lives at Bockenfield, said: “They refuse to come out to us until the snow is gone.”

She added that she went to the Morpeth sorting office and picked up two bags full of mail last week but only five letters this week.

Coun Eleanor Hall added: “We drove to Ashington to post our mail because we thought it wasn’t going to get otherwise.”

Farmers in Coquetdale have also raised concerns about not receiving cheques and being unable to pay bills.

One said: “We haven’t had a post delivery since last Wednesday, it is extraordinary. We phoned up the post office but they said it was a health and safety matter.

“People go in to Rothbury, so you would think they would be able to get up here somehow. I have lived in rural areas all my life and I have never known such a thing as the Post Office not delivering.”

Chevington with Longhorsley county councillor Glen Sanderson said: “I’ve had a lot of complaints from people who have not had mail, some for 10 days. I feel it is wholly unacceptable for the Post Office not to provide a proper service when a great many other businesses are able to carry on despite the weather.

“We have invited the Post Office to come and answer some questions at County Hall.”

but we’re struggling to get a response. I’ll be writing to the area manager to ask them to come to our scrutiny committee, which I chair, on December 14.”