A councillor has slammed Royal Mail saying residents in his ward go without deliveries for “weeks and months” at a time.
People in Portslade are fuming over the area’s unreliable postal service and regularly miss hospital appointments and vital health updates, according to Councillor Peter Atkinson.
Dozens of people have contacted him to complain about the issue in recent months.
One person told him: “I am reliably informed by someone that works at Royal Mail locally that parcels are always prioritised over letters. Letters are left in their frames for weeks.
“The postie’s rounds have been lengthened to the point where they are impossible to complete.
“It is now difficult to believe anything that Royal Mail management are saying.”
Another said: “I had a delivery on September 9 and in the 12 letters there was a letter from a hospital dated August 24 for my appointment on September 10.
“I’ve had to make urgent contact with the hospital to explain why I hadn’t confirmed the appointment.”
Cllr Atkinson has been calling on Royal Mail to improve its service in his ward since last year but now he has had enough.
“It is totally unacceptable,” he said. “I have residents who don’t receive mail for weeks at a time, sometimes over a month.
“Not everyone uses the internet or email and for some residents the result of non-receipt of mail can be very serious.”
He said one resident had been sent mail about a blood test result which meant they needed medical treatment.
The GP practice was unable to contact him by phone so posted the information.
Fortunately, the person contacted the GP practice about another matter and was told he needed urgent help.
Royal Mail said it is already working to fix the problems at its Portslade office.
A spokesman said: “We are committed to restoring our quality of service to our customers.
“We have plans in place and dedicated teams responsible for improving deliveries in Portslade and throughout our delivery offices nationwide.”
Royal Mail said it has taken on 3,000 new staff in the last six weeks and continues to recruit around 500 more each week.
“In the lead up to Christmas, we are taking on 16,000 temporary workers, more vehicles and additional parcel sorting sites to handle double the normal volume of parcels we expect over the period,” the spokesman said.
Last month The Argus spoke with an elderly cancer patient awaiting hospital appointments who has been cut off from regular post deliveries.
Jean Winstanley, 88, of Locks Crescent in Portslade, says deliveries dropped to just once a week roughly four months ago, at about the same time she was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.
READ MORE: Cancer patient begs Royal Mail to deliver letters to Portslade home
“Royal Mail need to buck their ideas up or for someone to go and kick them up the backside,” she said.
Jean said she regularly has to contact Worthing Hospital as she fears missing important information or appointments that should have arrived via post.
“It makes me annoyed, I’m waiting for my letters. My husband’s letters. It’s been happening for a long time,” said Jean.
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