With post arriving inconsistently or disappearing altogether, residents across Greater Manchester are facing mounting frustration.
Residents in Sharston, Wythenshawe, say ongoing Royal Mail delivery problems are leaving them without important letters, causing stress, and growing concern over missing post.
Evelyn, who lives in Sharston, said she has been experiencing postal issues for several years, with deliveries often arriving late, in batches, or simply not at all.
“I’m a pensioner, it stresses me knowing bills that need to be paid just don’t arrive on time.
“(Important) bank cards and statements are consistently delayed.”
Evelyn explained that locals were previously told post would be delivered on set days each week, but says the reality is very different.
“Two weeks ago, I came home on a Sunday and found five letters in the letterbox that definitely weren’t there earlier. I don’t know if it was the post or a neighbour who put them in,” she added.
She also said a family member living just a few streets away has had similar problems, including waiting way over a week for a new bank card that had already been sent out.
“It’s not just me. Something needs to change,” Evelyn said.
Other Greater Manchester residents have reported similar distressing experiences, missing health appointments, fines and benefit decisions.
Rochdale MP, Paul Waugh also spoke out on Facebook recently regarding poor postal services. He said “We need more accountability from Royal Mail”, and “It’s not good enough”.
For many households, particularly older residents and pensioners who are not online, reliable postal services remain absolutely essential.
They depend on the post for managing multiple aspects of everyday life; delays or missing deliveries can have serious consequences for their wellbeing and security.
The situation in Sharston reflects wider issues facing Royal Mail across the UK.
An Ofcom report published in October 2025, said the company delivered just 77% of first-class mail on time and 92.5% of second-class mail within three working days, falling well short of their official targets (93% and 98.5%).
As a result, Royal Mail was fined £21 million for poor performance. The company has now failed to meet its first-class delivery targets every year since 2017, and second-class targets since 2020.
Consumer groups have warned that postal delays can have serious real-world consequences.
A report by Citizens Advice in January found that around 16 million adults across the UK experienced significant delivery delays over the Christmas period, describing the repeated failures as “unacceptable”.
Royal Mail acknowledged its regulatory failings nationally in January, and said it is working to improve service performance, and battles with delays and rising prices through a ‘Postal Reform’ initiative.
However, residents throughout Greater Manchester say they are yet to see meaningful improvements.