Royal Mail delays hit 88 postcodes as UK faces more disruptions

Additional postcodes throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are experiencing Royal Mail disruptions. The postal operator has provided an update on its service, confirming that certain locations will face delayed deliveries.

Royal Mail has come under fire regarding its delivery performance, receiving a £21million penalty last October after failing to meet first and second class delivery standards during its previous financial year. Only 77% of first-class post and 92.5% of second-class items arrived on time in its 2024-25 financial year, falling short of their respective 93% and 98.5% targets. The delivery firm said: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week.

“In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors. In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers.

“We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”

Over the past 24 hours, Royal Mail’s air and road networks operated as planned. Nevertheless, certain post from Plymouth Mail Centre dispatched in the PL postcode area yesterday was scheduled for delivery today across other regions of the UK.

As of Tuesday, March 17, disruptions are affecting 32 Royal Mail delivery offices across the UK, including locations such as Colwyn Bay, Leicester, Oxford, Rathlin Island and Erskine. This has resulted in a ripple effect on 88 postcode areas.

These ongoing delays coincide with Royal Mail’s announcement of a stamp price hike next month. From April 6, the cost of First Class stamps will rise to £1.80 and Second Class stamps to 91p.

In 2020, a First Class stamp cost 76p. Next month, customers will face a £1.80 charge (an increase of 10p), marking a 137% surge compared to six years ago. According to Citizens Advice, since 2020, the cost of a First Class stamp has escalated eight times.

Richard Travers, managing director of letters at Royal Mail, stated: “We always consider price changes very carefully, balancing affordability with the rising cost of delivering mail.

“On average, UK adults now spend just £6.50 each year on stamps and there are 70% fewer letters sent than 20 years ago. In the meantime, the number of addresses we deliver to has increased by four million to 32 million addresses across the UK.”