MANY Isle of Wight residents have been left frustrated with Royal Mail, over delays in the delivery of their mail.

Islanders ­— predominantly in the Ryde and East Cowes area ­— have reported lengthy delays, and in some cases, no delivery of mail at all.

One Isle of Wight resident said they were lucky to get post once a week, while another said they got a bundle every three to four days.

Among them was Fred Dawson, who said: "First class is a waste of time, as the targets for next-day delivery are never met.

"Daily delivery seems to be a thing of the past."

In a letter to the editor, Liam Purdy, of Ryde, revealed he had received just two deliveries of mail on Belvedere Street since Christmas.

He said: "The sorting office does not answer the phone, customer services have more than an hour's waiting time ­— all I want is our post, please."

Royal Mail has apologised to any customers affected by the disruption.

The postal service says an increase in staff absences, Covid related self-isolation, and resourcing issues, have all played a part.

Asked why post is in some cases failing to reach its destination, a spokesperson for Royal Mail said: "The vast majority of mail is delivered safely and on time.

"We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week.

"In the local area, we are experiencing some delays to service due to high levels of sickness absence, Covid related self-isolation, and resourcing issues.

"We apologise to any customers who may have experienced delays to their mail.

"We have been working hard to get our levels of service back to normal as soon as possible."

Royal Mail says anyone who has concerns over the delivery of their mail should contact its customer service team on 03457 740 740, or via the Royal Mail website at www.royalmail.com