Residents of Wylva Road in Anfield have reported going days without mail after their regular postman "disappeared". One resident, Christopher, who has lived on the street with his wife for seven years, said deliveries were normal until two months ago, but now it can be up to four or five days before mail arrives.
Immigration decision missed
Christopher, 70, originally from Sri Lanka and living in Liverpool since 2014, discovered through the Home Office website that his application for indefinite leave to remain had been rejected. He had expected the decision to arrive by post, as previous correspondence had.
He is now concerned about his appeal process, with related letters due in the mail. Christopher told the ECHO: "I applied on the Home Office website to send me all my immigration letters so that I can appeal their decision. If I don't get indefinite leave to remain, then of course, I cannot stay. I will have to leave here and go."
Parcel collection problems
Neighbour Lee Palmer, 62, has faced separate issues since the street's postman disappeared. He sells items online through sites like eBay alongside his full-time job. Palmer said he booked a parcel collection with Royal Mail for Monday, October 26, between 10.20am and 2.20pm, but received an email at 2.30pm saying nobody was in. He said: "I was in the house and we've got two doorbells on the door and a knocker."
He rearranged the collection for Tuesday, October 27, between 10.20am and 2.30pm, but nothing happened until the postman arrived at 2.30pm and took the parcel while delivering. Palmer said he has been unable to track the parcel and spent an hour on the phone to Royal Mail trying to find its location. He said: "I just had to email the buyer and explain to him what's going on. I've had to send him emails and photograph all the parcels, emails I've had. And he said there's nothing you can do about it, we'll just have to wait and see when it turns up."
Royal Mail response
Palmer also reported receiving no post for about a week, despite a parcel delivery on October 27. He said: "We used to have a young lad deliver our post all the time, but he's disappeared. I don't know where he is."
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We understand how important reliable deliveries are, particularly when customers are waiting for hospital appointments or other important letters. We are improving reliability across Liverpool. Our latest independently measured results show that 83.0% of First Class letters were delivered by the next working day, up from 72.9% in the same period last year. While short-term local issues can occasionally affect deliveries, our teams work to maintain a regular service and prioritise any outstanding mail for the next working day. We know there is more to do, and our focus remains on building on this progress and delivering a more reliable, consistent service for all our customers."
