00:00 The lead up to Christmas is the busiest time of year for Royal Mail.
00:05 In Medway, residents tell us they're already going days without mail.
00:09 And they say when their postman does arrive, they've got weeks worth of letters.
00:16 Hospital referrals, bills and of course speeding and parking tickets all come through the post.
00:24 And that's leaving many people worried about what they are missing.
00:28 Yes, well I'm waiting for appointments myself, referrals from the doctor and everything like that.
00:35 And I haven't heard anything for three weeks.
00:39 It comes in batches, so you get all of them all at once and that's quite annoying.
00:46 It doesn't seem that safe now, does it?
00:49 The more I don't get mail, the better it is, because then you don't get bills.
00:53 We've ended up having the cheques stopped and reissued because we didn't receive the post.
00:59 It's been like that for a couple of months now.
01:01 This isn't the first time there have been delays from Royal Mail.
01:05 Can our local authorities step in and help?
01:09 We could certainly, through officers, try to establish what the situation is with Royal Mail.
01:15 I've heard that they're failing to meet the six day delivery service.
01:22 And clearly the residents locally are not getting vital hospital operation letters and things that they need.
01:31 So I think there is an angle for the council here.
01:34 Royal Mail say they aim to get first class letters delivered within one working day.
01:40 For second class letters, it's three working days.
01:43 But it seems across Medway and some parts of Kent, that's far from the case.
01:48 I think it's important that Royal Mail step up first of all and acknowledge the problem.
01:52 I think they need to explain to the public the gravity of the situation.
01:56 What is the current number of mail that they've got sitting within sorting centres?
02:00 And what is their estimated timelines in terms of real delivery, both for first and second class mail?
02:06 But also I think Royal Mail need to set out a strategy, particularly for the medium and longer term,
02:10 about how they're going to ensure that this isn't repeated.
02:13 Well, in a statement, Royal Mail told us they can confirm mail is being delivered to homes daily,
02:19 with the vast majority arriving on time.
02:22 If delays occur, they have dedicated teams in place to take immediate action.
02:27 They've also confirmed 16,000 seasonal workers have been hired.
02:31 But it's this Christmas season that is leaving many fearful across Medway.
02:36 Will their mail arrive?
02:38 Gabriel Morris for KMTV.
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