Missed post “not acceptable”, says Rother Valley MP after Christmas delays
MP Jake Richards said he raised concerns directly with Royal Mail’s senior management last week
Last updated 19th Dec 2025
Residents across Rother Valley are missing letters, documents and parcels as Royal Mail struggles to cope with demand in the run-up to Christmas, the area’s MP has warned.
Jake Richards said he raised concerns directly with Royal Mail’s senior management last week, describing the current level of service across the constituency as unacceptable.
Royal Mail has told the MP that all outstanding mail will be delivered before Christmas, but Mr Richards said he remained frustrated that staffing pressures were still being blamed for the delays, despite similar problems being reported last year.
He said he would continue pressing Royal Mail at both a local and national level to ensure a clear plan is in place to improve reliability and prevent further disruption.
The MP also urged residents not to take out their frustration on frontline postal workers, praising local posties for working long hours to keep deliveries moving during what he described as an exceptionally pressured period.
He has asked residents affected by delays to report problems directly to his office and complete a survey to help build a clearer picture of the scale of the issue across Rother Valley.
Royal Mail said it understood how important post was to customers, particularly in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
A spokesperson said that while this was the company’s busiest time of year, the vast majority of letters and parcels were delivered on time. They added that additional support was put in place where delivery offices were under pressure due to sickness or staff shortages.
The company said 99 per cent of items posted by the last recommended dates were delivered in time for Christmas last year and said teams were working to achieve the same level of service again this year.