Postal unions in the UK have described the Christmas delivery chaos as a “nightmare” after businesses complained parcels were taking up to a month to arrive.
Fears are growing that presents will be missing on Christmas Day as last-minute shoppers rush online and are forced to rely on overstretched delivery services.
Businesses urged Royal Mail to be more transparent around its delivery times so they can give more realistic expectations to customers, with one saying it had received “threatening” messages from people angry their order had not arrived.
Royal Mail said it has dealt with twice the number of parcels than usual in recent weeks, while online orders were more than 50 per cent higher than last year in the first two weeks of December, according to IMRG, a trade body for retailers.
A Government source said ministers were “concerned” about the backlog but could not intervene because of Royal Mail’s status as a private company.
Royal Mail insisted that the majority of its network are “now running as usual in line with this seasonal peak in demand”.
However, several small retailers said their parcels have been delayed by as much as four weeks.
Main Photo: A Royal Mail worker in London, Britain EPA/ANDY RAIN
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