Royal Mail farce

ROYAL Mail was accused last night of scrapping by stealth the commitment to deliver all first class letters and parcels the next day.

Millions of customers have been hit by the firm’s decision to drastically bring forward last collection times at almost one in seven post boxes.

Around 19,000 boxes in towns and villages across the country have had their times quietly changed by as much as seven hours.

In many market towns, it is now not unusual for the final collection to be as early as 9am.

People have to post a letter before that time if they want it delivered the next day – or drive for miles to a box with a later collection. Some are now facing an astonishing 6.45am deadline for posting.

Replying to a letter or a bill by ‘return of post’ has been made impossible for many people in country communities, who do not receive their daily delivery until hours after the last collection has gone.

It is a startling deterioration from the service provided in the early 1900s, when letters could be sent across London in just a few hours, and there were 12 deliveries a day.

Last night Royal Mail was accused of offering a second class service for first class prices.