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

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. The figures show that Royal Mail’s performance has worsened compared with the previous year, when 23.5% of first-class mail failed to arrive within the one-working-day target set by the regulator. Under the watchdog’s rules, 93% of first-class mail must be delivered within one working day of collection, excluding Christmas. The latest delivery figures published by Royal Mail showed that it managed to deliver 90.2% of second-class mail within the three-working-day limit, well short of Ofcom’s target of 98.5%. In October, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21m for missing annual delivery targets, the third-biggest financial penalty it has ever issued to any company. On Monday, Ofcom said that as part of its investigation it will look at whether Royal Mail is prioritising parcel delivery over letters, a practice which whistleblowers and unions have alleged but the company denies. “In deciding whether Royal Mail breached its regulatory obligations, we will consider all relevant factors,” Ofcom said. …