Royal Mail scraps Saturday letter deliveries UK-wide due to coronavirus

Royal Mail has scrapped Saturday letter deliveries until further notice due to coronavirus.

From this weekend onwards, the group will "temporarily" no longer deliver letters on a Saturday.

Deliveries already do not happen on a Sunday, so more people will face waiting into the following week for their letters to arrive.

However, Royal Mail insisted "most" parcels, as well as Special Delivery, Tracked and all non-account services, will continue being delivered six days per week.

Saturday collections from businesses, post office branches and post boxes also continue as normal.

It's understood the firm took the decision to reduce the burden on staff. The nature of some posties' work has had to change due to social distancing rules. Some are also off sick or self-isolating due to the virus, which means there are fewer staff to deal with incoming post.

But the move was blasted by the Communication Workers' Union, which represents posties and hinted it could even lead to a strike.

A CWU spokesman said: "We will be seeking urgent discussions with the government on this issue. The reduction of the Universal Service Obligation was a key factor in our live national strike ballot.

"The last thing we want to do is call strike action at this point but we will not sit back and see our members' jobs put at threat and the service to the public worsened."

The CWU called in March for households' deliveries to be cut to three days a week due to Covid-19.