Royal Mail Warns 117 Postcodes Face Severe Delivery Disruption

Royal Mail has issued a major alert to residents across the UK, warning that severe disruption is affecting deliveries in 117 postcodes. The national postal service stated it cannot guarantee the delivery of parcels or letters six days a week in these areas, casting doubt on the reliability of Christmas post for thousands of households.

Widespread Disruption Hits Festive Deliveries

The company confirmed the extensive problems in an update released on 19 December 2025. This means timely deliveries in the crucial run-up to Christmas are not assured for those living in the impacted zones. The announcement comes despite Royal Mail's recruitment of around 20,000 extra seasonal staff to handle the festive rush.

In a statement, Royal Mail explained: "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."

The service added that it is rotating deliveries in affected offices to minimise delays and providing targeted support to restore normal service standards. "We're sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding," the statement concluded.

Ongoing Performance Issues and Regulatory Action

This latest disruption follows a period of declining performance for the postal giant. Royal Mail recently admitted that less than three-quarters of first-class mail was delivered on time in recent months. For the period between 20 June and 28 September, only 73.4% of first-class post arrived the next working day, while 90.4% of second-class mail was delivered within three working days.

This slump in performance led regulator Ofcom to impose a hefty £21 million fine on Royal Mail for failing to meet its delivery targets for the 2024-25 financial year. The company delivered 77% of first-class and 92.5% of second-class mail on time, missing its targets of 93% and 98.5% respectively.

Planned Changes and Future Service Model

Royal Mail says it is taking action to improve service reliability. Chief Operating Officer Jamie Stephenson commented: "Reliable deliveries really matter to our customers, and they matter to us too. We're taking targeted action to improve performance – recruiting more frontline staff, simplifying operations and investing in a new delivery model, with early pilots already showing measurable results."

Part of this new model involves plans to discontinue second-class deliveries on Saturdays, moving them to alternate weekdays instead. Pilot schemes for this change are underway, with a wider rollout planned from early next year.

Below is the full list of postcodes currently experiencing significant delivery disruption according to Royal Mail's latest update.

Full list of postcodes hit by delays: