Royal Mail 'failing countless people', MPs say

Royal Mail is missing its targets in Oxfordshire and leaving "countless people in the lurch", a group of the county's Liberal Democrat MPs has said.

In a joint statement, Calum Miller, Olly Glover, Layla Moran, Charlie Maynard and Freddie van Mierlo accused the company of "failing people here in Oxfordshire".

The latest Royal Mail data found that 67.9% of first-class deliveries in OX postcodes were delivered on time over the past year - below its target of 93%.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said it was "sorry to hear about the issues reported in Oxfordshire and take these concerns seriously".

The five Lib Dem MPs called for greater accountability on missed targets to help improve parcel delivery and for the industry regulator, Ofcom, to step in and "act on these unacceptable delays".

"These missed targets are shocking and are leaving countless people in the lurch here in Oxfordshire and across the country," they said.

"This has been going on for far too long and people are understandably fed up of it.

"Postal workers are working hard to keep pace in an understaffed service – this isn't fair on them, or the individuals and businesses across Oxfordshire who need a well-staffed, reliable postal service they can trust."

Royal Mail said the "vast majority" of first-class letters arrived the next working day across the UK, with 92.3% delivered within two days.

"However, we recognise that performance in some areas has fallen short, and we're working hard to improve service levels," it said.

"We know how important timely and reliable deliveries are, especially when it comes to urgent mail."

"We are actively recruiting to strengthen our delivery teams and encourage any residents experiencing problems to contact us directly so we can investigate."

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.