Royal Mail has confirmed thousands of households living in 47 postcodes across the UK experienced delivery delays earlier this week, less than a week before Christmas.
Yesterday (Friday, December 19), dozens of postcodes were impacted by delays as the deadline for sending parcels and cards first class fast approaches.
Britons looking to send parcels or cards via first class signed for delivery have until today, December 20, to do so with Royal Mail.
In a statement on its website, Royal Mail shared: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week.
Royal Mail has issued a warning over delays
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“”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. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
Ahead of the festive season, Royal Mail issued a warning to the general public over delivery dates and urged families to not leave it to the last minute.
The organisation added: “”Allow plenty of time for posting this Christmas. Post items and gifts early, particularly for international deliveries. Last posting dates are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
“It’s always advisable to post as early as possible to ensure that your Christmas letters and parcels reach their destination in good time.”
Here is a full list of the 47 postcodes impacted by Royal Mail delivery dates earlier this week:
- Aboyne SUDO (AB34)
- Altens DO (AB10, AB11, AB12 and AB35)
- Ashington DO (NE22, NE62, NE63 and NE64)
- Barry DO (CF62 and CF63)
- Belfast West DO (BT10, BT11, BT12 and BT17)
- Bingham DO (NG12 and NG13)
- Bristol East DO (BS5)
- Brixton DO (SW2)
- Callington DO (PL17 and PL18)
- Canvey Island DO (SS8)
- Clevedon DO (BS21 and BS49)
- Dundee East DO (DD4, DD5 and DD7)
- Dunstable DO (LU5 and LU6)
- Dursley DO (GL11, GL12 and GL13)
- Dyce DO (AB21)
- Egremont DO (CA21, CA22, CA23, CA24, CA25 and CA27)
- Erskine DO (PA7 and PA8)
- Glasgow G52 DO (G52 and G53)
- Glenrothes DO (KY6 and KY7)
- Gloucester North DO (GL3 and GL4)
- Inverclyde DO (PA14, PA15, PA16, PA17, PA18 and PA19)
- Johnstone DO (PA5, PA6, PA9, PA10 and PA12)
- Kettering DO (NN14, NN15 and NN16)
- Kingswood DO (BS15 and BS30)
- Lichfield DO (WS7, WS13 and WS14)
- Lisburn DO (BT26, BT27 and BT28)
- Londonderry DO (BT47 and BT48)
- Medway Valley DO (ME6, ME18, ME19 and ME20)
- Northfield DO (B31)
- Northwich DO (CW8 and CW9)
- Nottingham South DO (NG2 and NG12)
- Paisley DO (PA1, PA2 and PA3)
- Plympton DO (PL7)
- Pontefract DO (WF7, WF8, WF9 and WF11)
- Renfrew DO (PA4)
- Seaham DO (SR7)
- Sleaford DO (NG34)
- St Helens DO (WA9, WA10 and WA11)
- Stalybridge SUDO (SK15)
- Thornbury DO (BS35)
- Tipton DO (DY4)
- Warrington DO (WA1, WA2, WA4, WA5 and WA55)
- Wellington DO (TA21)
- Westhill DO (AB13, AB14 and AB32)
- Whitehaven DO (CA18, CA19, CA20, CA26 and CA28)
- Whitwood DO (WF6 and WF10)
- Wigan DO (WN1, WN2, WN3, WN4, WN5 and WN6).
Royal Mail does not usually deliver or collect mail on public and local holidays | GETTY IMAGES
Here is a full list of the last delivery dates before Christmas for each postal company based in the UK:
- Last Royal Mail 2nd Class – Wednesday December 17
- Last Parcelforce express48 date – Friday December 19
- Last Royal Mail Tracked 48 date – Friday December 19
- Last Evri Standard date – Friday December 19
- Last Royal Mail 1st Class date – Saturday December 20
- Last DPD 2Day date – Saturday December 20
- Last Parcelforce express24 date – Monday December 22
- Last Royal Mail Tracked 24 date – Monday December 22
- Last Evri Next Day date – Monday December 22
- Last DPD Next Day date – Monday December 22 (some postcode exceptions)
- Royal Mail’s Special Delivery Guaranteed – Tuesday December 23
- DPD Gold: Tuesday – December 23.
In the New Year, Royal Mail is planning to axe second class postal deliveries on Saturdays in an effort to save money after a series of delays.
Mark Statton, pahead of public sector strategy at Quadient, said: “Royal Mail’s decision to delay scrapping Saturday second-class letter deliveries until early 2026 is a setback, but it’s also an opportunity to get the reforms right.
“The pilot sites have already revealed the operational pressures that such changes can bring, and pushing ahead without addressing them could compromise service reliability, especially as we approach the peak season.
“My advice to organisations is to avoid relying solely on physical mail. Instead, a blended approach including physical and digital channels ensures critical messages are delivered on time, even when postal operations face disruption.”
