An MP has written to Royal Mail bosses over delivery “chaos” as the city endures post arriving weeks late and a shortage of posties.

There have been complaints for months about slow deliveries in Brighton and Hove which have caused some people to miss hospital appointments.

Residents have also expressed their anger at the sorting offices in the city slashing opening hours to four hours a day.

Royal Mail staff have even claimed that when employees go on leave no one is covering their rounds to deliver post, according to Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove.

The Argus: Opening times at sorting offices in the city have been slashed. Pictured is the Brighton sorting officeOpening times at sorting offices in the city have been slashed. Pictured is the Brighton sorting office (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

He has written to Royal Mail bosses over the delivery times and opening hours.

Mr Kyle said: “Residents have had enough. Bosses need to resource the service instead of running it down. I love our posties but they need help.

“I have contacted the customer operations manager at Portslade Delivery, who has confirmed they are experiencing ‘resourcing issues’ but staff tell me that staffing levels are below pre-2020 and that when staff are on leave, for example, no one is covering their rounds.

“My success has been to get two new posties employed with Royal Mail next month in Portslade and to get temporary staff cover over summer. I shall be watching this closely.

“It’s been heartbreaking to hear of people not receiving birthday cards, of missed hospital appointments and of people waiting weeks for important documents.”

The Argus: The opening hours at the Brighton sorting office were taped upThe opening hours at the Brighton sorting office were taped up (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Karen Barton, a Portslade resident, said she has had trouble with getting post delivered since last year.

She said: “Last December I did not receive mail for six weeks and waited this length of time for a new bank card which was a challenge. 

“I even tried to collect it from the sorting office but when I got there I was told there was no chance and that all the post was piled up all over the floor.

“I had a significant birthday this week and I'm sorry to say I haven't received any of my cards in the post from friends and family who sent them a week or more ago by first class. 

“Although this seems trivial, it is a shame that my friends and family went out of their way to ensure the cards would arrive in plenty of time and they are not here.”

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The Argus previously reported on how a woman from Withdean had to drive to a delivery office to collect her own post after she received nothing for nine days.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We are sorry to any residents who have experienced delays. Improving our quality of service is our top priority and we are committed to restoring service levels to where our customers expect them to be.

“At the local delivery office there have been issues with vacancies and absence which has caused some disruption. We have recruited two new posties this month and have brought in additional casual staff to help with the demand.

“We would like to reassure everyone that deliveries are occurring six days a week to those who have mail. Anyone who does not receive mail on the day they expect will always be prioritised the following day.

“Across our business we have plans in place to drive service levels and reduce absence at our delivery offices, we hope and expect to see further progress in the coming months.”