Royal Mail has issued a delivery delay warning affecting 198 UK postcodes, with homes and businesses in areas such as Cambridge, Nottingham, Barry, Hull, and Stockport facing disruptions as of Friday, 10 July.
Reasons for Delays
The company stated: "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 such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors." Royal Mail rotates deliveries to minimise inconvenience and provides targeted support to affected offices.
Previous Delays and Criticism
Last month, Royal Mail warned of delays due to a heatwave, and another heatwave has been declared this week. The company has faced criticism over late deliveries, receiving a £21 million fine from Ofcom in October after missing targets: only 77% of First Class and 92.5% of Second Class post arrived on time in 2024-2025.
Improvement Targets
This year, Royal Mail aims to improve First Class Next Day delivery to around 85% within nine months, reaching the 90% Ofcom target within a year. Jamie Stephenson, chief operating officer, said: "We’re putting significant investment into improving reliability... but delivering lasting change across a network of this scale takes time." He added that Universal Service reform is key to adapting the network while protecting the one-price-goes-anywhere service.
Affected Postcodes
The full list includes: Altens DO (AB10-AB12, AB35), Ashington DO (NE22, NE62-NE64), Aylesbury DO (HP19-HP21), Barnstaple DO (EX18, EX31-EX33, EX35, EX37), Barry DO (CF63), Basingstoke DO (RG21-RG26, RG28), Bedford DO (MK40-MK45), Bicester DO (OX25-OX27), Bradford North DO (BD1-BD3, BD8-BD10), Bracknell DO (RG12, RG42, RG45), Brecon DO (LD3), Brierley Hill DO (DY5), Caerphilly DO (CF83), Calne DO (SN11), Cambridge DO (CB1-CB5, CB21-CB25), Carmarthen DO (SA17, SA31-SA33), Carterton DO (OX18), Clifton NG DO (NG11), Coalville DO (LE6, LE67), Deal DO (CT14), Dursley DO (GL11-GL13), Eastwood DO (NG16), Ebbw Vale DO (NP23), Fareham DO (PO14-PO17), Flint DO (CH6, CH8), Gloucester North DO (GL3-GL4), Great Glen SPDO (LE8), Hedge End DO (SO30, SO32), Hull Central DO (HU1-HU3, HU5, HU9, HU12, HU19), Hunslet DO (LS10), Hyde DO (SK13, SK14, SK16), Ilfracombe DO (EX34), Inverclyde DO (PA14-PA19), Kidderminster DO (DY10-DY12, DY14), Kingswinford DO (DY6), Kingswood DO (BS15, BS30), Knutsford DO (WA16), Leieston DO (IP15-IP16), Llaongollen SUDO (LL20), Loughborough DO (LE11-LE12), Malton DO (YO17), Mid Rhondda Ganol DO (CF39-CF40), Nantwich DO (CW5), New Ferry DO (CH32, CH62, CH63), Nottingham North DO (NG5, NG14), Nottingham South DO (NG2, NG12), Okehampton DO (EX19-EX21), Orton Southgate DO (PE2, PE7-PE9), Oxford DO (OX1-OX2), Oxford East DO (OX3, OX4, OX33, OX44, OX49), Patchway DO (BS32, BS34-BS35), Pontypridd DO (CF37-CF38, CF46), Saxon Way DO (HU4, HU10, HU13-HU15), Sheffield North East DO (S5, S35), St Helens DO (WA9-WA11), Stalybridge SUDU (SK15), Stockport Central DO (SK1-SK5, SK7), Stourbridge DO (DY7-DY9), Stourport On Severn DO (DY13), Swindon DO (SN1-SN3, SN6, SN25, SN26, SN38, SN99), Tipton DO (DY4), Tiverton DO (EX16, EX18), Wallingford DO (OX10, OX49), Wantage DO (OX12), Warrington DO (WA1-WA2, WA4-WA5, WA55), Weston Super Mare DO (BS23-BS24, BS40), Wimborne DO (BH21), Wolverhampton NE DO (WV11, WV12), Wolverhampton NW DO (WV6-WV9), and Yate DO (BS37).
