Royal Mail has issued a direct alert to residents and businesses across 47 specific UK postcodes, warning them to brace for potential delays to their mail and parcels in the run-up to Christmas. The postal service confirmed the disruptions on Friday, 19th December 2025.
What's Causing the Postal Delays?
In an official statement, Royal Mail reiterated its standard aim to deliver to every address six days a week where it has mail. However, it acknowledged that this would not be temporarily possible in a limited number of local delivery offices.
The company cited localised issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing challenges, and other operational factors as the root cause of the holdups. "We're sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding," a spokesperson said.
Full List of Affected Postcode Areas
The delays are impacting a wide geographic spread, from Scotland to Northern Ireland and across England and Wales. The affected delivery offices and their corresponding postcode sectors are:
- Aboyne SUDO (AB34)
- Altens DO (AB10, AB11, AB12, AB35)
- Ashington DO (NE22, NE62, NE63, NE64)
- Barry DO (CF62, CF63)
- Belfast West DO (BT10, BT11, BT12, BT17)
- Bingham DO (NG12, NG13)
- Bristol East DO (BS5)
- Brixton DO (SW2)
- Callington DO (PL17, PL18)
- Canvey Island DO (SS8)
- Clevedon DO (BS21, BS49)
- Dundee East DO (DD4, DD5, DD7)
- Dunstable DO (LU5, LU6)
- Dursley DO (GL11, GL12, GL13)
- Dyce DO (AB21)
- Egremont DO (CA21, CA22, CA23, CA24, CA25, CA27)
- Erskine DO (PA7, PA8)
- Glasgow G52 DO (G52, G53)
- Glenrothes DO (KY6, KY7)
- Gloucester North DO (GL3, GL4)
- Inverclyde DO (PA14, PA15, PA16, PA17, PA18, PA19)
- Johnstone DO (PA5, PA6, PA9, PA10, PA12)
- Kettering DO (NN14, NN15, NN16)
- Kingswood DO (BS15, BS30)
- Lichfield DO (WS7, WS13, WS14)
- Lisburn DO (BT26, BT27, BT28)
- Londonderry DO (BT47, BT48)
- Medway Valley DO (ME6, ME18, ME19, ME20)
- Northfield DO (B31)
- Northwich DO (CW8, CW9)
- Nottingham South DO (NG2, NG12)
- Paisley DO (PA1, PA2, PA3)
- Plympton DO (PL7)
- Pontefract DO (WF7, WF8, WF9, WF11)
- Renfrew DO (PA4)
- Seaham DO (SR7)
- Sleaford DO (NG34)
- St Helens DO (WA9, WA10, WA11)
- Stalybridge SUDO (SK15)
- Thornbury DO (BS35)
- Tipton DO (DY4)
- Warrington DO (WA1, WA2, WA4, WA5, WA55)
- Wellington DO (TA21)
- Westhill DO (AB13, AB14, AB32)
- Whitehaven DO (CA18, CA19, CA20, CA26, CA28)
- Whitwood DO (WF6, WF10)
- Wigan DO (WN1, WN2, WN3, WN4, WN5, WN6)
Advice for Christmas Posting
This warning follows Royal Mail's recent publication of the final recommended posting dates for Christmas 2025. The service is actively urging all customers, not just those in the listed areas, to send their festive cards and gifts as early as possible to mitigate the risk of disappointment.
The combination of high seasonal volumes and these localised staffing issues underscores the importance of planning ahead. Customers expecting time-sensitive documents or gifts are advised to monitor tracking information where available and allow extra time for delivery.
Royal Mail has stated that its teams are working to resolve the local problems and restore normal service levels in the affected offices as swiftly as possible.
