Royal Mail has said there is ‘nuance’ to the prioritisation of parcels over letters during the festive season amid concerns raised over people missing key appointments due to delayed post.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said that last year, 99% of items posted by the last recommended posting dates were delivered in time for Christmas, adding that its teams were “focused on maintaining that level of service again this year”.

On concerns raised over prioritisation of parcels, the spokesperson added: “There’s some nuance here that’s worth raising. It’s important to provide context to why, in certain situations, parcels may need to be moved first.

“Our job is to deliver every item within the timescales customers have paid for, and our aim is always to deliver letters and parcels on time. However, during exceptionally busy periods like Christmas, when volumes double, delivery offices can become very congested. Parcels take up far more space than letters, and in large numbers they can block walkways and create health and safety risks.

DAVENTRY, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: A worker wears a Santa hat as some of the millions of items pass though the Royal Mail Midlands 'Super Hub' and the automated centre sorts and sifts parcels and packages for Christmas delivery on December 16, 2024 in Daventry, England. The Royal Mail's 'super hub' in Daventry spans 53 acres, and can process up to 90,000 items of mail per hour, with each parcel taking only seven minutes to be run through the system. On the site's busiest day of the year, December 18, the organisation expects to deliver over 35 million letters and over nine million parcels to addresses around the UK. Today it was announced that the sale of the Royal Mail's parent company to a Czech billionaire, Daniel Kretinsky, was approved by the government. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

placeholder image — DAVENTRY, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: A worker wears a Santa hat as some of the millions of items pass though the Royal Mail Midlands 'Super Hub' and the automated centre sorts and sifts parcels and packages for Christmas delivery on December 16, 2024 in Daventry, England. The Royal Mail's 'super hub' in Daventry spans 53 acres, and can process up to 90,000 items of mail per hour, with each parcel taking only seven minutes to be run through the system. On the site's busiest day of the year, December 18, the organisation expects to deliver over 35 million letters and over nine million parcels to addresses around the UK. Today it was announced that the sale of the Royal Mail's parent company to a Czech billionaire, Daniel Kretinsky, was approved by the government. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

“In those moments, clearing parcels first is sometimes necessary to keep offices safe and to ensure all mail, including letters, continues to move through the network.

“Ofcom has looked into this claim previously and found no evidence that Royal Mail instructs the prioritisation of parcels over letters outside of these recognised contingency plans.”

In response to the comments from Royal Mail, People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin said: "Households depend on Royal Mail to deliver letters on time.

“It has been put to Royal Mail bosses again and again that vital communication from the Health Service, for the Housing Executive and others is contained in those letters.

“Delays can have a huge impact on anyone waiting for an appointment or housing offer. Therefore, these letters cannot be deprioritised.

“It is Royal Mail's duty to ensure delivery of letters on time.

“They know volume goes through the roof at this time of year - so they have plenty of time to recruit additional staff and identify solutions to congestion.

“Royal Mail is putting up the price of sending mail in the New Year. Those additional charges will further impact the already hard pressed.

“If prices are to go up, we should expect improved services and better treatment of workers.”

SDLP MLA for Foyle, Mark H. Durkan meanwhile has highlighted that he has been contacted by Derry residents worried receiving parcels from couriers Evri.

He said: “I've been contacted since the start of the month by people worried about their delayed Evri deliveries and we've been raising these concerns directly.

“Evri has apologised for what it describes as 'teething problems' linked to its new site in Mallusk, and has committed to improving and expanding its service across the North."

Responding to customers' worries, a spokesperson for Evri said: “We’re on track to deliver over 900 million parcels this year with the vast majority being delivered successfully on time. Customer satisfaction is at the heart of what we do and we’re very sorry that a surge in parcels has slowed a small number of deliveries. The local team are working hard to deliver all outstanding parcels in the coming days.”