With Christmas less than two weeks away and many still waiting on deliveries amid Royal Mail postal delays has there been any signs of improvement?

At the beginning of the month KentOnline reported on how postcodes across Maidstone, Malling, and Medway had been without post for weeks.

Some residents missed hospital appointment letters, Christmas cards went AWOL, and one unfortunate football fan ended up receiving his season ticket for Gillingham FC almost three months late.

Jane Kingsford from Twydall, near Gillingham, explained how she had received the letter for an important medical test more than a week after the appointment date.

She was still able to attend as she received an alert via an app but the issues have not disappeared for the 51-year-old.

Jane explained: “I have had two deliveries within about four days since we last spoke but have had nothing since.

“There has been no real change, if anything it’s worse as more is going missing due to Christmas.

“I had a thank you gift for my husband go missing and it’s been so long that it’s been refunded, and I had to re-order.

“Also missing are some craft items I ordered on November 28.

“I have other things I ordered that haven’t arrived yet, but it hasn’t been long enough to class them as missing though I am concerned.

“I’m now trying to stick with ordering from Amazon Prime as I know I’ll get it in time.”

In a bizarre turn of events Jane has reported some items sent abroad via the Post Office “arriving in good time” but things are still going amiss at home, she says.

There has been no real change, if anything it’s worse as more is going missing due to Christmas

Janice Frost, of Lower Fant Road, Maidstone, also almost missed her hospital appointment after only receiving the letter informing her it was rescheduled after the original meeting date.

But unlike her postal neighbours in ME8 the 59-year-old has since seen signs of improvement.

She said: “I am pleased to say the post has been a lot more regular and efficient.

“We even had post on a Saturday this week (December 12)”.

Meanwhile, Royal Mail says it has hired 16,000 seasonal workers, increased vehicle numbers and boosted operational capacity with extra parcel sorting sites to help clear the backlog.

And yet pressures on the courier company still remain.

As a test, KentOnline posted a letter, and parcel containing Percy the Potato on the same day.

Both have since arrived. The letter on Saturday (December 10), and Percy yesterday (December 13) - nine days later than advertised.

Ofcom, the government-approved regulator for the postal industry, fined the Royal Mail £5.6 million last month for failing to meet delivery targets.

Its stretched workforce are fast feeling the strain in the run up to Christmas with one speaking out to say he is now “embarrassed to wear the uniform”.

Meanwhile, Tracey Crouch MP for Aylesford and Chatham held a meeting with the company on December 7 where she expressed concerns after postal problems affected her constituents.

She said: “It was a useful opportunity for me to raise the concerns of local residents and also to hear some of the pressures Royal Mail themselves have faced and what they are doing to address them.

“There are currently staffing and illness issues, particularly but not limited to the Malling end of the constituency, and these pressures have also been exacerbated by the size and volume of parcels in the run up to Christmas.

“I did explain that the issues regarding delivery of letters is not necessarily a recent or seasonal issue and asked what was being done to address the problem in the long, as well as short term.

“Like all of us, Royal Mail are grateful to the postal workers who they know are operating under challenging circumstances and I very much hope the interventions will clear the existing backlog in the near future and regular postal deliveries return.”

Ms Crouch also mentioned Royal Mail would open the Snodland sorting office until 2pm on two extra dates to help with the backlog.

Neighbouring Tory MP for Tonbridge and Malling Tom Tugendhat has also been following up with Royal Mail.

He said: “I am unhappy to have received insufficient detail as to why these delays are ongoing.

“I am continuing to chase them on this and do what I can to push them to restore a better and more reliable service with Christmas fast approaching.”

The company has also explained that two top executives close to the company’s recent long-running dispute with its unions are going to leave in the New Year.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “The teams within our delivery offices are working extremely hard to ensure a consistent and reliable service to households throughout Kent this Christmas. We can confirm mail is being delivered to homes daily, with the vast majority of mail being delivered on time.”