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Christmas rush 'explodes' at parcel 'super hub'

Kath Paddison/BBC Alex Grieves and Jenny Hall in hi-visibility jackets pose for a photo at the parcel facility in Daventry.Kath Paddison/BBC
Alex Grieves (left) said the level of activity at the Daventry parcel hub has "exploded" since the start of December

A Royal Mail parcel "super hub" is in "a really strong position" in the lead up to Christmas, its general manager said.

The facility opened last year at Daventry International Railfreight Terminal (DIRFT) in Northamptonshire and can handle up to 90,000 parcels per hour.

The 53-acre (214,483 sq m) site employs about 2,350 people, including seasonal and agency staff, and is the company's largest automated parcel hub.

Alex Grieves said the centre was processing "over one million parcels a day" in the run up to Christmas Day.

He said: "The site is open 364 days a year, 24/7. The only day we are is closed is Christmas Day."

Mr Grieves added that Royal Mail's operation was in place "around the clock" with "at least 300 to 400 people on site every hour of every single day".

He said that about 70% of parcels handled by the parcel hub were from manufacturers and said the Christmas rush had "exploded" since Black Friday last month.

The delivery service has advised customers to send parcels intended for pre-Christmas delivery as soon as possible, and has published its last posting dates.

Kath Paddison/BBC A vast warehouse that processes parcels. Conveyor belts stretch from one end of the warehouse to the other.Kath Paddison/BBC
Mr Grieves said the Daventry facility was the size of about 30 football pitches
Kath Paddison/BBC A person in a high-viz jacket and a hard hat stands on a gantry looking across a warehouse. There are hundreds of parcels on a level below them.Kath Paddison/BBC
The super hub was designed to handle up to 90,000 items of mail per hour

On Monday, the government approved the sale of Royal Mail's parent company to a Czech billionaire in a takeover deal worth about £3.6bn.

But Mr Grieves said it was business as usual at the facility, despite the development.

"It's too early to understand what it [the takeover] means from a local perspective," he said.

"All we know at the moment is that we are very, very busy for Christmas.

"We're doing a million parcels a day, we don't envisage anything to change as we move into hearing a bit more about the takeover in the new year."

Kath Paddison/BBC A man handles a medium size parcel as it moves along a conveyor belt.Kath Paddison/BBC
The super hub at DIRFT is Royal Mail's biggest automated parcel facility

Jenny Hall, corporate affairs director at Royal Mail, said there was "no impact" from the takeover on its "flagship" automated parcel site.

She said: It's [the hub in Daventry] is a really, really important part of our investment of building a Royal Mail for the future and making sure we can deliver the nation's parcels much quicker and more efficiently."

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