Royal Mail Delays: 62 Postcodes Affected, Stamp Prices Rise

0:00Lester's story is making news on March 21st. Royal Mail is warning of delivery delays this weekend across many UK post-codes, including parts of Lester's share like Sistan, Sutton, Bonington, Shepshed, and Loughborough. Normally, they deliver mail six days a week, with operations planned for Saturday, March 21st, and Sunday, March 22nd. But 25 sorting offices are facing issues, hitting 62 post-code districts in total. No problems like high-sick absence and staffing shortages are to blame in these spots. Royal Mail says they rotate deliveries to spread out the delays, and are providing extra help to get back on track soon. Customers have criticized the service lately for frequent disruptions, especially with stand prices going up. Last October, the company got hit with a 21 million pound penalty for missing delivery targets, only 77% of first-class mail, and 92.5% of second-class arrived on time last year. Some costs are rising again from April 6th, with first-class going to £1.80, and second-class

1:03to 91 pence. That's a big jump from 76 pence for first-class back in 2020, and prices have gone up eight times since then. Fewer letters are being sent these days, 70% less than 20 years ago. But delivery addresses have grown to 32 million. Royal Mail apologizes for the hassle, and asks for patience while they sort things out.