Snodland: Residents left without mail for up to three weeks

Some residents in a Kent town have complained they have faced waits of up to three weeks to receive their mail due to a shortage of postal staff.

People in parts of Snodland, near Maidstone, have had to go to their local sorting office to collect post.

Some locals voiced concerns the issue could impact the delivery of ballots for the upcoming local elections.

Royal Mail apologised for the delays which it said was caused by staff sickness and resourcing issues.

Resident Kim Klein, 69, said she has not received any mail since 31 March. She said: "We've got local elections coming up. All the people that have a postal vote, are we going to get our papers?"

Her husband, Daniel Klein, 69, who runs a wool and scrap metal export business, said his firm has been left out of pocket due to the delays.

"(Royal Mail) has a remit by law. They have a guarantee to deliver the mail six days a week. It doesn't happen," he said.

Their neighbour, Keith Miller, 68, described the service recently as "sparse" and "sometimes non-existent".

"You don't know whether you're going to get anything or whether you don't," he said.

"If you are wanting something delivered and you can't get it, it's very frustrating," Mr Miller added.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said a higher level of sickness than usual and some resourcing issues were responsible for the delays.

"To resolve this, we have brought in temporary staff to manage this current workload and have plans for recruitment to ensure any future workload is managed effectively," they added.

The spokesperson said there will be a "noticeable improvement" going forward.

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