Homes and business won’t receive their mail on time.
Mia O’Hare Senior Spare Time Journalist
12:10, 17 Mar 2026
Royal Mail has issued a service update(Image: Scott Jenkin via Getty Images)
Additional postcodes throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are experiencing Royal Mail delivery disruptions, including across Merseyside. The postal operator has provided an update on its service, confirming that mail deliveries will be delayed in certain areas.
Royal Mail has come under fire for its delivery setbacks, receiving a £21 million penalty last October after failing to meet first and second class delivery standards during its previous financial year. Only 77% of first-class post and 92.5% of second-class items arrived on schedule in its 2024-25 financial year – falling short of its respective 93% and 98.5% targets, reports the Mirror.
The delivery company stated: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week. In a small number of local offices, this may temporarily not be possible due to local issues such as high levels of sick absence, resourcing, or other local factors.
“In those cases, we will rotate deliveries to minimise the delay to individual customers.
“We also provide targeted support to those offices to address their challenges and restore our service to the high standard our customers would normally receive. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
Multiple postcodes across Merseyside have been affected (Image: Benjamin Robinson via Getty Images)
Over the past 24 hours, Royal Mail’s air and road networks operated as planned. Nevertheless, certain post from Plymouth Mail Centre dispatched in the PL postcode area yesterday was scheduled for delivery today in other regions of the UK.
As of Tuesday, March 17, disruptions are affecting 32 Royal Mail sorting offices. These span the entire UK, with locations including Formby, Heswall and New Ferry. This has impacted 88 postcode districts.
The continuing disruptions arrive as Royal Mail prepares to raise stamp prices next month. From April 6, First Class stamps will cost £1.80 and Second Class stamps will be priced at 91p.
In 2020, a First Class stamp cost 76p. Next month, consumers will need to pay £1.80 (an increase of 10p), representing a 137% rise over six years.
According to Citizens Advice, First Class stamp prices have climbed eight times since 2020.
Richard Travers, managing director of letters at Royal Mail said: “We always consider price changes very carefully, balancing affordability with the rising cost of delivering mail.
“On average, UK adults now spend just £6.50 each year on stamps and there are 70% fewer letters sent than 20 years ago.
“In the meantime, the number of addresses we deliver to has increased by four million to 32 million addresses across the UK.”
Royal Mail delivery disruptions today
- Aberlour SUDO (AB38)
- Bicester DO (OX25-OX27)
- Carterton DO (OX18)
- Castle Bromwich DO (B35, B36, B37, B40)
- Coalville DO (LE6, LE67)
- Colwyn Bay DO (LL28, LL29)
- Daventry DO (NN11)
- Deeside DO (CH5)
- Diss DO (IP21, IP22, IP23, IP98)
- Erskine DO (PA7, PA8)
- Formby DO (L37, L38)
- Heswall DO (CH31, CH60, CH61)
- Inverclyde DO (PA14-PA19)
- Leicester North DO (LE4, LE7, LE41)
- Lichfield DO (WS7, WS13, WS14)
- Lydney DO (GL15)
- Oxford DO (OX1, OX2)
- Oxford East DO (OX3, OX4, OX33, OX44, OX49)
- New Ferry DO (CH32, CH62, CH63)
- Nuneaton DO (CV10, CV11, CV13)
- Patchway DO (BS32, BS34, BS35)
- Pontefract DO (WF7-WF9, WF11)
- Pontyclun DO (CF72)
- Rathlin Island SPDO (BT54)
- Shepshed DO (LE12)
- Shrewsbury DO (SY1, SY2, SY3, SY4, SY5)
- Sleaford DO (NG34)
- Swindon DO (SN1, SN2, SN3, SN6, SN25, SN26, SN38, SN99)
- Tweedale DO (TF3, TF4, TF7, TF8, TF12)
- Upton DO (CH30, CH49)
- Whitechapel DO (E1,E1W,E98)
- Winsford DO (CW7, CW10)