Royal Mail Issues Heatwave Warning for Deliveries
Royal Mail has issued an urgent statement warning that deliveries could be delayed across 91 UK postcodes as a record-breaking heatwave continues to grip the nation. The postal service typically delivers letters six days a week and parcels on Sundays, but extreme temperatures are affecting operations.
Affected Areas and Causes
A rare red weather alert has been issued across southern England, the Midlands, and parts of Wales, including London, Somerset, Birmingham, Swansea, and Cardiff. Temperatures are forecast to reach 36°C today and 39°C tomorrow, with the mercury potentially climbing as high as 40°C. Royal Mail said: "Our posties and drivers are taking extra care in the heat to keep themselves and our customers safe... thank you for your patience if deliveries take a little longer."
Among the affected postcode areas are Oxford, Wolverhampton, Swindon, Carmarthen, and North Tyneside. The full list includes Ashington (NE22, NE62, NE63, NE64), Banbury (OX15, OX16, OX17), Bedford (MK40-MK45), Bicester (OX25, OX26, OX27), and many others across England and Wales.
Royal Mail's Response and Targets
Royal Mail 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. In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers." Despite the warnings, Royal Mail's air and road network has operated to schedule over the past 24 hours.
The company has faced criticism over late deliveries and was fined £21 million by Ofcom in October after delivering only 77% of First Class post and 92.5% of Second Class post on time in 2024-2025. This year, Royal Mail aims to boost First Class Next Day delivery to around 85% within nine months, reaching the 90% target set by Ofcom within a year. Jamie Stephenson, Royal Mail's chief operating officer, said: "We're putting significant investment into improving reliability and reaching these new delivery targets, but delivering lasting change across a network of this scale takes time."
Full List of Affected Delivery Offices and Postcodes
- Ashington DO: NE22, NE62, NE63, NE64
- Altens DO: AB10, AB11, AB12, AB35
- Banbury DO: OX15, OX16, OX17
- Bedford DO: MK40, MK41, MK42, MK43, MK44, MK45
- Bicester DO: OX25, OX26, OX27
- Bridge Of Don DO: AB22, AB23
- Brierley Hill DO: DY5
- Carmarthen DO: SA17, SA31, SA32, SA33
- Carterton DO: OX18
- Deeside DO: CH5
- Dursley DO: GL11, GL12, GL13
- Gosforth DO: NE3, NE13
- Hailsham DO: BN27
- Kidsgrove DO: ST7
- Kingswinford DO: DY6
- Lichfield DO: WS7, WS13, WS14
- Llangollen SUDO: LL20
- Margate DO: CT7, CT8, CT9
- Nantwich DO: CW5
- New Ferry DO: CH32, CH62, CH63
- North Tyneside DO: NE25-NE30
- Northwich DO: CW8, CW9
- Oxford East DO: OX3, OX4, OX33, OX44, OX49
- Patchway DO: BS32, BS34, BS35
- Pontyclun DO: CF72
- Southam DO: CV47
- St Helens DO: WA9, WA10, WA11
- Swindon DO: SN1, SN2, SN3, SN6, SN25, SN26, SN38, SN99
- Teignmouth DO: TQ14
- Tipton DO: DY4
- Tiverton DO: EX16, EX18
- Upton DO: CH30, CH49
- Wallingford DO: OX10, OX49
- Warrington DO: WA1, WA2, WA4, WA5, WA55
- Wolverhampton NE DO: WV11-WV12
