Mystery of the missing mail
Some residents across Redbridge have not received any mail in more than a month. - Credit: PA
Some residents across Redbridge have gone more than a month without having their mail delivered and some are worried that vaccine notifications and other important post will be missed.
A number of residents have contacted the Recorder saying they've only received one delivery since the beginning of December.
In some cases the only way people have received their mail is when they specifically asked if they had any mail when a parcel was delivered to them. And it was then fetched for them.
A spokesperson for the Royal Mail said it has staff absences due to coronavirus and is working hard to deliver a normal service.
Before the Christmas holidays 40 per cent of staff in the area were off sick but the Royal Mail would not confirm what the current number is.
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The Royal Mail did not reply to a question about whether it was prioritising delivering parcels over regular mail.
Some elderly residents are concerned that they won't receive a notification for when the Covid-19 vaccine is available to them and will miss important mail such as credit card bills.
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NHS England says it when it’s someone’s turn to have the coronavirus vaccine, they’ll get a letter, phone call, email or text inviting them for an appointment.
Valerie Wallbank, who hasn't received any mail in Hainault since December 12, said: "It's quite serious, some people are not bothered because they do everything online but for some of us it's quite important."
A spokesperson for Ilford North MP Wes Streeting said he raised the issue with the Royal Mail after receiving a number of complaints about this issue.
He also flagged the issue about missed medical appointment notices with the local NHS because he was particularly concerned about that issue.
A number of councillors including Cllr Joyce Ryan and Cllr Ruth Clark (Con, Fairlop) have also been affected by this issue and said they have struggled to get hold of someone at Royal Mail to find out more information as to when it would be resolved.
The Royal Mail said updates can be found on its website but a number of residents have complained at the lack of information there.
