Frustrated islanders on Islay have taken to collecting their own post from the sorting office rather than waiting up to three weeks for it to be delivered.
The delivery delays are said to be so bad, that residents have missed hospital appointments and social invitations.
Councillor – and former postmaster – Alastair Redman is now raising the matter as a matter of urgency and has called on Royal Mail to employ more staff, and to train the ones it does have to deliver the mail on time.
Mr Redman, who lives in Port Charlotte, claimed things have gone from bad to worse – with his dad and his neighbours waiting more than three weeks for post and parcels.
But the problem is all over the island – with people in Bowmore and on Jura also complaining at the lack of post.
Lowest ebb with the mail service
He said: “We are at the lowest ebb with the post on the island, and people are being forced to collect their own mail, and their neighbour’s mail at the sorting office in Port Ellen, or wait for weeks.
“I have been getting one delivery every two weeks, my dad who lives on the back road at Port Charlotte is waiting much longer – three weeks or more for a delivery.”
Mr Redman said postal workers are asked to sign a personal declaration of confidentiality and no one but a Royal Mail worker should be delivering mail.
He continued: “There is a severe shortage of staff on the island. Staff here are really pushing for people to pick up their own mail. This morning alone I have had six complaints about it.
“It is not only for Islay, it is on Jura as well. The problem is that we have well-paid jobs in the whisky industry on the island. People are just not prepared to take the meagre salary Royal Mail is offering.”
‘Royal Mail bosses need to sit up and listen’
Social media sites on the island are filled with people shouting for help for staff. One person described the sorting office as “overcrowded”, with hardly an inch of floor left without post or parcels.
Mr Redman continued: “It is not good enough, we need Royal Mail bosses to sit up and listen.
“This situation urgently needs to change. People on Islay and Jura like the rest of the country will be sending and will want to receive Christmas cards – hopefully, they will get them on time.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We are very sorry for the delays to deliveries that some customers are reporting on Islay, and for any inconvenience caused.
“We have been affected by some resourcing issues locally, which we are in the process of addressing.”
He added: “Anyone who has concerns over the delivery of their mail should contact the Royal Mail customer service team on 03457 740 740 or via the Royal Mail website www.royalmail.com.”
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