Fifth of letters fail to arrive next day

One in five first-class letters posted in the West Midlands fails to arrive the following day according to new figures just released by Royal Mail.

The company is now likely to miss 10 of its 12 annual licence targets when the financial year ends at the end of March, the worst performance since 2003-4 when it infamously missed all of them. Royal Mail blames figures on recent industrial action which severely disrupted the service.

Against a target of 93 per cent, only 83 per cent of first-class stamped mail was delivered the next day on average from April to December 2007.

Dudley and Wolverhampton were among the 20 worst-performing postcode areas in the UK, with only Walsall operating above the national average - although still 10 per cent below the target set by the regulator.

Best-performing nationally was Twickenham at 88.2 per cent, with Colchester bottom of the table with 75.8 per cent.

Over the Christmas period, from December 3 to January 1, just 55 per cent of first-class mail was delivered on time. The dramatic dip was described as very disappointing by the industry's watchdog.Najma Hafeez, chair of Postwatch Midlands, said: "Royal Mail is having a difficult year. It has let customers down and driven many of them into using alternative means. It is doubtful those who moved away will return.

"Even after the strike was over the company failed to meet customer expectations at Christmas. This is the busiest posting time for households and an opportunity to rebuild a tarnished brand was squandered.

"Unfortunately we may look back at 2007-8 as the pivotal year in the decline of Royal Mail."

The figures are published in the Royal Mail's Third Quarter Report.

Royal Mail said performance had been badly affected by the postal workers' strikes over the summer. The previous year - a strike-free 12 months - the company hit a 93.5 per cent quality-of-service rating, above the required target.

By Marion Brennan