Royal Mail has released a list of 28 blackspot areas, which are currently 'no longer receiving post' due to coronavirus causing staff absences.
A total of 27 places in England and one area in Northern Ireland are facing limited delivery services, including 13 in or near virus hotspot London.
Valerie Wallbank from Hainault, north-east London, told the Ilford Recorder she had not received any mail since 12 December..
Advert
"It's quite serious. Some people are not bothered because they do everything online but for some of us it's quite important."
After receiving a number of complains about the issue, a spokesperson for Ilford North MP Wes Streeting said he raised the issue with the Royal Mail - also flagging the concern about missed medical appointment notices with the local NHS.
A spokesperson for the Royal Mail said it had staff absences due to coronavirus, confirming that before the Christmas holidays 40 percent of staff in the area were off sick.
Advert
According to the Ilford Recorder, many elderly residents are worried that they won't receive a notification when their Covid-19 vaccine is available, with NHS England saying people will be sent a letter, phone call, email or text inviting them to an appointment.
Sharing the list of affected areas, Royal Mail said in a statement that it was 'working hard to deliver the most comprehensive and high quality service we can to all our customers', despite the setbacks from the pandemic and increased pressures due to a surge in online shopping.
The statement, posted on the Royal Mail website, said: "The combination of greatly increased uptake of online shopping, and the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, mean that all delivery companies are experiencing exceptionally high volumes.
"Every single parcel and letter is important to us. Despite our best efforts and significant investment in extra resource, some customers may experience slightly longer delivery timescales than our usual service standards.
"This is due to the exceptionally high volumes we are seeing, exacerbated by the coronavirus-related measures we have put in place in local mail centres and delivery offices to keep our people and customers safe. In such cases, we always work hard to get back to providing our usual level of service as quickly as we can."
Advert
Areas affected by Royal Mail delays:
Ashford (TN23-TN27)
Barnsley (S70, S71, S72 and S75)
Basildon (SS13-SS16)
Bow (E3)
Bury St Edmunds (IP28-IP33)
Chelmsford (CM1-CM3)
Christchurch (BH23)
Daventry (NN11)
Debden (IG7-IG10)
Enfield (EN1-EN3)
Grays (RM16-RM20)
Hampton (TW12)
Highbury (N5)
Hornsey (N8)
Horsham (RH12, RH13)
Ilford (IG1-IG6)
Leeds City (LS1-LS5)
Lewisham (SE13)
Magherafelt (BT45, BT46)
Margate (CT7-CT9)
Rugeley (WS15)
Somerton (TA11)
South Ockendon (RM15)
South Woodford (E18)
Upper Holloway (N7)
Wandsworth (SW18)
Wellington (TA21)
Widnes (WA8)
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: UK News, News, Coronavirus, Royal Mail