ROYAL Mail has apologised to Colchester residents for disruption to postal services and insists that it’s business as usual.

The apology comes after damning claims by an anonymous postie from Colchester’s delivery office.

The insider claimed a revision, which is part of a programme dubbed as a “national embarrassment” by the union which represents postal workers, could see staff take on bigger rounds – potentially worsening the delays to postal services.

The delivery office insider emphasised: “This will not solve the problem as there is only so much a postal worker can deliver in the time given.”

Gazette: Bigger workloads - A revision could see postal workers take on bigger roundsBigger workloads - A revision could see postal workers take on bigger rounds (Image: Royal Mail)

Staffing and overtime cuts were also among the issues raised by the insider who claims that the backlog of letters and parcels is getting worse, despite Colchester being removed from a list of areas facing delays.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused to customers who have recently experienced delays in [Colchester].

"We are now operating as normal in Colchester, with deliveries taking place six days a week when there is mail to be delivered.

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“We have sufficient resources in place to manage our anticipated workload locally.

"Anyone who has concerns over the delivery of their mail should contact the Royal Mail customer service team.”

Addressing the concerns regarding the increased size of rounds, the spokesperson added: “Over the last ten years, the number of addresses we deliver to has grown by more than 2 million and many postmen and women’s routes have not been revised in this time.

“This can mean that some routes can be an hour or two longer than others, for example where new housing developments have been built.

“Our latest quarterly results show a 25 per cent decline in the volume of letters sent since before the pandemic, during which time the number of parcels has risen.

“We have therefore revised routes throughout the country to ensure they are fairer and reflect the growth in addresses and parcel deliveries, and this is an ongoing process.

"This has had no impact on the quality of service received by our customers.”

Royal Mail also confirmed it continues to advertise vacancies and offer overtime when it’s required.