The last few weeks deliveries have shocked the local populace with mail arriving between 9.00 and 10.00 am instead of 1.00 - 2.00 pm. Last couple of days it has gone back to approx 12 noon. Then I went to post a letter and found that the letter box said last collection for the day was 9.00 am. A few days later I mentioned this to a relative and they said they had just seen a letter box with last collection at 5.30 pm.

If there has been something in the local papers about this I will have missed it as they have not been delivered here for several years now.

So can anyone shed light on the processes/thinking being put into action by the Postal Service? (Seems wrong to call it 'Royal Mail'.)

Probably temp staff and covering holidays.

we've had the same thing. our post usually arrives between 12:00-1:00 but sometimes 10am and sometimes 4pm. saturdays i can't knock them, it's usually before 10:00 which is great if you're expecting something, not so great when you're not and you're hung over to f**k and they demand you go and sign for the parcel they have which ends up not even being for you anyway... but enough of that, back to the topic at hand: yes we've noticed varying times of delivery, and it's a bit frustrating but hey ho.

Was in the garden when the Postman called this morning (around noon). He was filling in for holiday cover and said that a round took 5 hours now and they collected mail for delivery along the way. I sympathised and said that he wouldn't be needing his gym membership then!