MP claims hospital visits missed over late post

A Merseyside MP has claimed lengthy delays to letters being delivered is down to postal workers prioritising delivering parcels.

The Labour MP for Sefton Central, Bill Esterson, said constituents in the area had told him they had not received important post such as hospital appointment notices.

Esterson told BBC Radio Merseyside: "Sometimes they're having to go to the sorting office to collect large piles of backlog mail."

Royal Mail said some local deliveries could be "occasionally affected by short-term issues".

Esterson has written an open letter to the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, encouraging the government to "ensure Royal Mail delivery services are restored to a sufficient standard".

He also said some postal workers have told him that Royal Mail gets paid more for prioritising parcel delivery over letter delivery, adding: "It's not the fault of the posties, it's the fault of the Royal Mail."

Royal Mail has not commented on the claims.

Esterson added: "They're prioritising parcels over letter because they get paid more for them, which is what the postmen and postwomen are telling us. They are doing a great job in difficult circumstances.

"Royal Mail is not taking the action they are promising. They are clearly preferring parcels over letters.

"It's time this was dealt with."

Earlier this year, the UK communications regulator Ofcom opened an investigation into Royal Mail's failure to meet its delivery targets nationwide.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We know how important it is for letters to arrive when expected.

"Mail continues to be delivered across Sefton every day.

"However, individual routes can occasionally be affected by short-term local issues, and where this happens any outstanding mail is prioritised for delivery as quickly as possible, alongside time-sensitive items such as First Class mail and medical letters.

"Currently, more than 93% of all letters are delivered on time and over 99% within a week, meaning longer delays are rare."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.