Royal Mail investigated again as almost a quarter of first-class post arrives late

Royal Mail has not hit its Ofcom-mandated delivery target for first-class post since 2017. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

The postal regulator has launched an investigation into Royal Mail for once again missing its annual delivery targets, with almost a quarter of first-class mail arriving late.

The company, which has been fined £37m since 2023 for routinely failing to meet delivery targets set by Ofcom, revealed on Friday that 24.3% of first-class mail failed to arrive on time in the year to the end of March.