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Royal Mail has issued an apology after confirming that deliveries will be disrupted today, March 19, across 38 postcode areas. Customers in the affected locations have been warned to expect delays to mail and parcels as the postal service works to resolve the issues.
The mail company states that it is “sorry for any inconvenience”. The delays are said to be due to “high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors”. Areas affected include Aberlour, Colwyn Bay, Newcastle Under Lyme, Swindon, Grimsby, Whitechapel and more.
Royal Mail has already faced criticism over poor delivery performance and was fined £21 million last October for missing targets. In 2024–25, only 77% of first-class and 92.5% of second-class mail arrived on time, below the required 93% and 98.5% targets.
Ongoing delays come as Royal Mail prepares to raise stamp prices next month. From April 6, First Class stamps will increase to £1.80 and Second Class to 91p.
According to Citizens Advice, First Class stamp prices have increased eight times since 2020. In 2020, a First Class stamp would cost 76p, meaning the new £1.80 price reflects a 137% rise.
A spokesperson for Royal Mail issued a statement on their site, regarding today’s delays, that read: “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.
“In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers. We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive.”
They continued: “We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. We will regularly update customers on the offices most impacted.”
