The postal service for first class mail in Brentwood is among the worst in the country, according to statistics released by the independent consumer council Postwatch.
It is currently conducting an investigation with the Government's industry regulator, Postcomm, into the "particularly bad" service in the CM or Chelmsford postcode area, which includes Brentwood.
Postwatch says Royal Mail has failed to maintain a "universal service" - its obligation to deliver to every part of the country each working day - in the Brentwood and Ongar areas.
The figures show that just 89.3 per cent of first class mail posted in the CM area in the year up to March reached its destination by the following working day, making it the fifth worst of 122 postcode areas in the UK.
Royal Mail's national target is 92.5 per cent, with a minimum level of 90 per cent needed to comply with the licence it has to deliver mail services.
The chairman of Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, Roger Kelsey, said this was a matter of concern for many businesses in the area which rely on receiving important documents in the post.
He added: "We have had a lot of complaints about the sort of service that businesses are getting in Brentwood, particularly with the early morning deliveries. There is still a substantial amount of businesses that rely on incoming mail, and their documentation being turned around quickly.
"We have raised this with the Post Office on several occasions, and we have been trying to arrange a meeting with them."
Brentwood and Ongar MP Eric Pickles also voiced his concerns. He said: "I still get a lot of complaints about the postal service in the area. I think we have to see some real improvements, otherwise the Post Office is just going to slip further and further behind. This just confirms what we have always known - that our postal service is absolutely rotten."
A spokesman for Royal Mail said the company had to give an official report to Postcom because in the Brentwood and Ongar areas it had failed to meet its obligations to provide a universal service during January, February and March.
He blamed staff shortages in Brentwood and said the company had now reviewed manning and recruitment policies in Brentwood and reserve levels in Ongar, where long term sickness had caused a problem.
Published Thursday, June 5, 2003
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article