Royal Mail apologies as Houghton Regis resident misses vital letters after post not delivered

Royal Mail has said sorry to residents in Houghton Regis after ongoing issues with delivering post.

Luca D’Orsi had lodged six complaints to the company after he missed numerous medical appointments due to the lack of regular postal deliveries since December when he moved to the area.

He said: "I am angry and frustrated. We don't get delivery of our mail regularly. If you get a penalty and you are not paying it in 14 days, then the price will go up.”

Luca added: “I don't ask for the service to be every day. But at least every two days. They [other residents] have the same issue."

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to customers within Houghton Regis who have experienced delays, we are engaging directly with this resident and will be working to address and resolve the service issues he has been experiencing.”

They added: “The current service in the area has been impacted by high vacancies and sick absences. In addition, a large new housing development has also increased the level of demand at the local delivery office. Royal Mail said it was ‘actively recruiting’ to fill roles and it will be working to address the ‘new demand’ in the area.

Luca tried to go to the nearby postal depot to pick up his mail, but was not allowed to take his letters. He added: "I missed an appointment with the doctor. I missed a document from the DVLA because it was coming late. We are all missing something."

The spokesperson for Royal Mail continued: ““We hope and expect to see further progress in the coming months, this also relates to our business nationally where we have plans in place to drive service levels and reduce absence at our delivery offices.”

They reassured customers and said: “When delays occur, we make every effort to ensure it has as little impact on the customer as possible. Any customer who does not receive their mail on the day they expect will always be prioritised the next day.