Sammie Ellard-King
I’m Sammie, a money expert and business owner passionate about helping you take control of your wallet. My mission with Up the Gains is to create a safe space to help improve your finances, cut your costs and make you feel good while doing it.
MPs have warned of Royal Mail “chaos” after more than 100 postcodes were hit by new delays. The Business and Trade Committee is demanding answers from chief executive Alistair Cochrane.
The committee, comprising 11 cross-party MPs under the chairmanship of Liam Byrne, dispatched correspondence to Cochrane this week. They highlighted “significant concerns about the quality of the postal service being provided by Royal Mail.”
What Is 'Batching'?
The parliamentary committee raised allegations that Royal Mail may be deliberately withholding correspondence until sufficient items accumulate for a single address – a practice referred to as “batching.”
“This alleged practice of ‘batching’ letters, if true, clearly risks customers missing important time-sensitive information such as medical appointments, as well as impacting upon Royal Mail’s delivery performance,” the committee stated.
If letters are being held back deliberately rather than delivered as they arrive, people could miss crucial appointments, bills, or other time-sensitive post.
More news:
Full List of Affected Postcodes
Here’s the complete list of delivery offices and postcodes experiencing disruption:
- Aberdare DO (CF44, CF45)
- Ashington DO (NE22, NE62, NE63, NE64)
- Banbridge DO (BT32)
- Beverley DO (HU11, HU17, HU18)
- Brechin DO (DD9)
- Brierley Hill DO (DY5)
- Chichester DO (PO18 – PO20)
- Chipping Norton DO (OX7)
- Daventry DO (NN11)
- Glasgow G15 DO (G15)
- Glasgow G52 DO (G52, G53)
- Helston DO (TR12, TR13)
- Hull Central DO (HU1-HU3, HU5, HU9, HU12, HU19)
- Hyde DO (SK13, SK14, SK16)
- Kingswood DO (BS15, BS30)
- Kirkcaldy DO (KY1 – KY3)
- Leicester East DO (LE2, LE5-LE7)
- Lichfield DO (WS7, WS13, WS14)
- Lisburn DO (BT26-BT28)
- Lochgelly DO (KY5)
- Lutterworth DO (LE9, LE17)
- Maida Hill DO (W9)
- North Tyneside DO (NE25-NE30)
- Oxford East DO (OX3, OX4, OX33, OX44, OX49)
- Penarth DO (CF64)
- Pendle DO (BB8, BB9)
- Pontefract DO (WF7, WF8, WF9, WF11)
- Pontyclun DO (CF72)
- Prenton DO (CH43)
- Shrewsbury DO (SY1-SY5)
- Sileby SPDO (LE12)
- Sleaford DO (NG34)
- South Shields DO (NE33, NE34)
- Sunderland DO (SR1-SR6, SR9)
- Swan House DO (LE1, LE3, LE7-LE9, LE19, LE95)
- Swindon DO (SN1, SN2, SN3, SN6, SN25, SN26, SN38, SN99)
- Waterlooville DO (PO7-PO8)
- Whitwood DO (WF6, WF10)
What Does Royal Mail Say?
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We understand how frustrating it is when post does not arrive as expected, and we want to reassure customers that the vast majority of mail is delivered as planned.”
That statement doesn’t address the specific allegations of “batching” or provide any explanation for the delays affecting 107 postcodes.
What Should You Do If You're Affected?
If your postcode is on this list and you’re expecting important post, you might want to:
- Contact senders directly to check if post has been sent
- For medical appointments, phone your GP or hospital to confirm dates
- For bills or time-sensitive post, consider switching to paperless options where possible
- Keep track of expected post and report persistent delays to Royal Mail
The parliamentary committee’s intervention shows MPs are taking these concerns seriously.
Royal Mail will need to provide answers about both the delays and the allegations of “batching” letters.
For customers in affected areas, the frustration of unreliable post continues.
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Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
