People across south west London are receiving Royal Mail post over three weeks after dispatch, due to delays caused by the pandemic.
The problems are reported to have started in November, before increasing in December and January.
This comes after Royal Mail yesterday published a list of ‘black spots’ experiencing a disrupted service across the UK.
Arnaud Gagneux of Riverside Quarter in Wandsworth ordered Christmas presents from Amazon in late November, which were subsequently lost.
He also missed five copies of his Economist subscription until two copies arrived yesterday, with the other three still missing.
Gagneux, 52, said: “I expected things to go wrong because they are under tremendous pressure.
“I knew from the missing magazines that things weren’t working well, so I gave myself time to have alternative paths.”
Gagneux didn’t receive communication about the problem from Royal Mail and had to reorder the gifts.
An Economist customer service agent told him they were investigating the problem.
A 33-year-old woman from Farm Lane in Fulham also explained that post arrived yesterday for the first time since 23rd December.
A Royal Mail spokesperson confirmed delays have arisen from increased staff absences and social distancing measures put in place during the pandemic.
She said: “Every single letter and parcel is important to us.
“Right from the start of this crisis, we have played a key role keeping the country connected.
“Throughout the pandemic, every decision we make puts the health of our people and customers first.”
Royal Mail has created a dedicated page on its website to display coronavirus-related information.
You can read the reaction to news of a Royal Mail coronavirus delay in Hampton here.
Featured image credit: Lionel Allorge
