Royal Mail has issued a direct warning to residents in at least 25 postcodes across the UK, stating that deliveries are likely to face significant disruption. The postal service cites high levels of staff sickness and ongoing resourcing problems at several local delivery offices as the primary cause.
Full List of Affected Postcode Areas
The disruption, announced on Monday, 1st December 2025, spans from Scotland to Northern Ireland and England. The following local delivery offices are experiencing issues, impacting mail for the surrounding postcodes:
Aboyne SUDO (AB34), Altens DO (AB10, AB11, AB12, AB35), Ashington DO (NE22, NE62-NE64), Belfast West DO (BT10-BT12, BT17), Bridge of Don DO (AB22, AB23), Derwentside DO (DH8-DH9), Dinnington DO (S25, S26), Erskine DO (PA7-PA8), Folkestone DO (CT18, CT19, CT20, CT50), Glenrothes DO (KY6, KY7), Gloucester North DO (GL3, GL4), Hull Central DO (HU1-HU3, HU5, HU9, HU12, HU19), Inverclyde DO (PA14-PA19), Keith DO (AB55), Kilwinning DO (KA13), Lichfield DO (WS7, WS13, WS14), Lisburn DO (BT26-BT28), Lochgelly DO (KY5), Plymouth North DO (PL2, PL3), Pontefract DO (WF7, WF8, WF9, WF11), Prescot DO (L34, L35), Uddingston DO (G71), Washington DO (NE37-NE38), Whitehaven DO (CA18-CA20, CA26, CA28), Whitwood DO (WF6, WF10).
Additional Disruption from Weekend Issues
Further problems are compounding the delays. Royal Mail confirmed that a vehicle was held up on its route on Sunday, which may cause later-than-usual deliveries in parts of Leeds, Sheffield, Greenford, Birmingham, and Bristol.
In addition, not all mail was processed on schedule over the weekend at several major sorting centres. This backlog means further potential delays for mail sent to postcodes handled by the Chelmsford Mail Centre (CM, CO, SS, IP areas), Nottingham Mail Centre (DE, NG areas), and Jubilee Mail Centre (GU, KT, SW, TW areas).
Royal Mail's Response and Customer Advice
In a statement addressing the widespread postal delivery disruption, Royal Mail said: "We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week. In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues."
The company explained that in affected areas, it will rotate deliveries to spread the impact and minimise the delay for individual customers. It has also pledged targeted support for the struggling offices to restore service standards.
"We're sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding," the statement concluded, adding that it would provide regular updates on the offices most impacted by the staff shortages and resourcing challenges.
