A damning report from Citizens Advice has exposed a severe decline in Royal Mail's performance over the festive period, with the postal service failing to deliver letters on time to a staggering 16 million people during Christmas 2025. This represents a dramatic 50 per cent increase compared to the previous December, when 10.7 million individuals experienced late deliveries.
A Dreadful Festive Slump in Postal Reliability
The watchdog described the situation as a 'dreadful festive slump,' noting that the issue affected 29 per cent of all UK adults. While the delays applied to letters and cards, parcels were not included in these concerning figures. Alarmingly, this performance marks the worst over any festive season in the past five years, with the exception of 2022 when Royal Mail workers were on strike.
Beyond Christmas Cards: The Human Impact of Postal Delays
The consequences extended far beyond missed seasonal greetings. Citizens Advice warned that approximately 5.7 million people failed to receive vital correspondence, including letters about health appointments, fines, benefit decisions, and legal documents. This left many individuals feeling genuinely distressed and anxious about their financial and personal affairs.
Anne Pardoe, head of policy at Citizens Advice, emphasised the severity of the situation: 'When people have no other postal provider to choose from, the sheer volume of delays is simply unacceptable. The company's dreadful festive slump is about much more than late Christmas cards. People are left distressed after missing health appointments, fines and benefit decisions.'
Rising Prices Amidst Declining Service Standards
Compounding the delivery failures, Royal Mail has been consistently raising stamp prices while missing its performance targets. The cost of a first-class stamp has now reached £1.70, more than double its 2020 price. Polls indicate that 36 per cent of people who typically send and receive post mailed fewer Christmas cards this year, citing stamp prices as prohibitively expensive.
This price increase has occurred against a backdrop of persistent underperformance. Royal Mail has failed to meet its first-class annual delivery target since 2017 and its second-class target since 2020, raising serious questions about value for money.
Structural Changes and Consumer Concerns
Regulator Ofcom announced significant changes in July last year, including cuts to Royal Mail's second-class delivery days from six days a week to every other day. These adjustments, part of a broader review of the Universal Service Obligation (USO), are scheduled to be implemented nationwide this year.
Ms Pardoe expressed deep concern about the future: 'There is no light at the end of the tunnel for consumers struggling with Royal Mail's persistent delivery failures.' She urged Ofcom to take stronger action, stating: 'This is a worrying trend, and with cuts to delivery days looming, Ofcom must start cracking down even harder on missed targets before things go from bad to worse. Any future stamp price increases should be conditional on Royal Mail meeting these targets.'
Additional Service Disruptions and Regulatory Response
The problems extended beyond simple delays. A significant 34 per cent of people reported not receiving any postal deliveries for between one and three weeks at a time, only to subsequently receive a large bundle of five or more letters all at once. Furthermore, nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of those awaiting important correspondence reported feeling distressed and anxious about potential consequences, including missed benefits, unpaid bills, financial losses, and other critical information gaps.
Ofcom has previously taken action against Royal Mail, fining the company £37 million for poor letter delivery performance. A spokesman for the regulator stated: 'In recent years, we've fined Royal Mail £37 million for its poor letter delivery performance, and we'll continue to hold the company to account. Last year, we modernised the obligations imposed on Royal Mail, to reflect what people need, put the service on a more sustainable footing, and enable the company to invest more in improving its delivery performance. Royal Mail must now play its part by implementing this effectively and improving its reliability.'
In response to the criticism, a Royal Mail spokesperson highlighted that independent data showed more than 99 per cent of items posted by the last recommended dates arrived in time for Christmas. They added: 'This was during our busiest time of year, when volumes more than double, and we're grateful to our teams across the country who worked incredibly hard to deliver for our customers.'
The findings are based on a survey of 2,095 UK adults conducted by Yonder between January 5 and 6, 2025, painting a comprehensive picture of widespread dissatisfaction with the state of the UK's postal service during the crucial Christmas period.
