Royal Mail issues delay warning as Christmas posting deadlines approach

Royal Mail has warned customers of possible delays to services today following disruption at mail centres across the UK.

The postal service noted that while delivery and collection services will take place, more than 10 areas will be affected by slow-moving mail today.

It comes at a crucial time for people hoping to post parcels and letters ahead of Christmas with deadlines fast approaching for Britons.

Many international posting dates have already surpassed, while some end today, Friday, December 8.

On the website, Royal Mail claimed: “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.”

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The postal service revealed that disruption to its air network and mail centres were to blame, with technical issues at fault for the delayed flight from East Midlands Airport to Exeter Airport last night.

As a result, some mail posted yesterday in the Midlands, north of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, due for delivery today in the EX, PL and TR postcode areas, may arrive later than planned.

Not all mail was processed or dispatched to schedule over the last 24 hours in certain locations, which means some items will be delivered later than expected.

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Affected postcodes

Birmingham: B, HR and WR postcode areas.
Carlisle: CA and DG postcode areas.
Chester: CH, LL and SY postcode areas.
Dorset: BH and DT postcode areas.
Glasgow: G, KA, ML and PA postcode areas.
Home Counties North: AL, EN, HP, LU, SG and WD postcode areas.
Manchester: BL, M, OL and SK postcode areas.
Peterborough: CB and PE postcode areas.
Swindon: OX, RG and SN postcode areas.
Warrington: CW, L, WA and WN postcode areas.

This is unlikely to, but could affect some posts being sent today in line with Christmas deadlines. Current deadlines include:

International Tracked and Signature Services

Thursday, December 7 – Cyprus and Malta
Friday, December 8 – Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and USA

International Standard (Untracked)

Thursday, December 7 – Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and USA

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