Royal Mail blames bad weather and sickness for late deliveries

Royal Mail delivered 424m parcels, up 8%, but the number of addressed letters dropped 9% to 1.5bn in the final quarter of last year. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Alamy

Royal Mail has blamed stormy weather and too many workers being off sick after complaints over missed delivery rounds and late letters.

The strain on the postal service has meant rounds are missed on a daily basis and letters have been left undelivered for weeks, according to the BBC, which cited reports from more than a dozen Royal Mail postal staff at different delivery offices.