The Royal Mail has apologised as staff sickness has led to delays in postal deliveries.

People in Canterbury say it has been taking as long as nine days for some first-class letters and parcels to arrive.

The Royal Mail says the issue is due to a number of staff being off sick, and that it will aim to deliver mail "at least every other day" if the problem continues.

Charles Barton, who lives in The Spires near Station Road West, is among those experiencing delays.

He said: "Two recent items took nine days to arrive, and mail seems to be delivered in batches, rather than daily.

"I get four or five things through my letter box one day, then nothing for three days."

Mr Barton says he has "the highest regard for the posties who deliver our mail", but wishes the Royal Mail would communicate better with residents about ongoing issues.

Across the city, residents in the Old Dover Road area have also reported delays, with parcels taking more than a week to arrive.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “In some areas in Canterbury, we are experiencing some disruption to service due to sickness absence.

"The situation is improving. We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week.

"If resourcing issues and self-isolation requirements prevent this, we’ll deliver at least every other day.

"We apologise to customers for any inconvenience they may experience as we work hard to resolve the situation.”

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