A Cardiff mother of two has been left frustrated after waiting several weeks for her post to be delivered, missing important hospital appointments and vital documents. Kelly Watts, a full-time carer, moved to a new housing development in Canton, Cardiff in December 2025 but has experienced significant postal delays despite setting up a redirection.
Months Without Mail
Watts said she initially noticed a drop in mail immediately after moving. At her old address, she received letters every other day, but at the new estate, she went weeks without any delivery. It wasn't until the end of January that she finally received some post, followed by another two-month gap. She contacted Royal Mail and eventually received 37 letters in April, including electricity bills and disability letters for her six-year-old son.
Her son suffers from global developmental delay, learning disabilities, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), is non-verbal, and will never be able to walk. The family relies on post for critical documents such as brain scan results, time-sensitive letters from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and hospital appointment letters.
Missed Appointments and Lost Letters
In mid-May, Watts received another delivery, then waited until July 13 for the next one. She missed a wheelchair-fitting appointment for her son because letters were not delivered. She said: "I was waiting ages for the appointment and I was thinking it was taking a while. Luckily I rung them and they said they'd sent out two letters regarding the appointments and were going to take us off the list. If they take you off a list you are waiting years to go back on it."
Watts also paid £12 for Royal Mail's 'special delivery guaranteed service' to receive a time-sensitive parcel for her son. She waited four days without receiving it, feeling trapped at home. She said: "It feels like I've got cabin fever because I've been in for four days waiting for this special delivery thing which hasn't come, on top of four weeks of mail which hasn't come."
Royal Mail Response
After speaking to WalesOnline, Watts finally received a sea of post, including the special delivery item. Among the letters was one sent on June 23 about a hospital appointment scheduled for July 7, which she had missed. A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We know how important reliable deliveries are, particularly when people are waiting for hospital appointments, benefits or other important correspondence. We are looking into the concerns raised about deliveries to this address with the local delivery office so we can establish the full circumstances."
The spokesperson added that more than 92% of all letters are delivered on time and over 99% within a week, but acknowledged longer delays are rare and that they remain focused on improving reliability.
