Grieving husband says post delays 'adding stress'

A recently bereaved man says ongoing postal delays in his city have added further stress to dealing with his wife's sudden death.

Russ Brookes, 44, said his family were "devastated" when his wife, Em Brookes, died in her sleep in July, but the postal problems in Gloucester have made managing essential paperwork and finances even more difficult.

Residents in the city have reported second-class letters arriving late for months, with some saying important correspondence, including medical appointments, has been delayed.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We know there is more to do and we are focused on giving customers a more consistent service."

Brookes, who lives in Hunts Grove with his five-year-old son, said Em had a heart condition, but her death at 43 came as a shock to family and friends.

"It was a very sudden death. We were completely shell-shocked and devastated, leaving me and my son to pick up the pieces," he said.

A public meeting was held last month during which Royal Mail representatives said they were changing how the letter service works, but warned that the backlog could be up to 25% in Gloucester's sorting offices.

Brookes said important paperwork relating to his late wife has been caught up in the delays.

"I didn't know the tax on my wife's car had been cancelled because the correspondence hadn't arrived. I was very lucky I hadn't been using the car, as I could have been driving it without tax," he said.

"When you're going through a loss, you're not always in the best headspace, and this additional stress just isn't needed."

Royal Mail said second-class and other non-first-class letters are now being delivered on alternate days.

Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre, who organised the public meeting, said: "I'm hopeful that we'll start to see that change happening... but if not, we will continue to hold them to account."

He said the service in the city was "not acceptable" and the number of vacancies within the company was not helping.

"We've got 16 vacancies here in Gloucester. People are leaving because it's incredibly stressful," he said.

"They're feeling pressure from the public, despite the fact that it's not the fault of our individual posties, who work incredibly hard, that this system isn't working."

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "As a large employer, vacancies arise and we recruit throughout the year, with staffing managed locally according to operational requirements and workload.

"In the GL postcode area, 84.4% of first-class mail is delivered the next working day, with the rest following shortly afterwards. We know there is more to do and are focused on giving customers a more consistent service."

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