POSTAL chiefs today apologised, after some Felixstowe residents had to wait hours longer for their mail – and promised the service will get better.Families in Old Felixstowe complained about snail mail after their letters were not delivered until after 3pm and were told it could be as late as 4pm.

By Richard Cornwell

POSTAL chiefs today apologised, after some Felixstowe residents had to wait hours longer for their mail - and promised the service will get better.

Families in Old Felixstowe complained about snail mail after their letters were not delivered until after 3pm and were told it could be as late as 4pm.

Delays have arisen following the decision to axe the second post and change the rounds so households in the seaside town and the twin Trimley villages have only one postal delivery a day.

One resident in Sunningdale Drive said: "Our post arrived at 3.10pm - and that is not acceptable at all. It used to come before 9am.

"When I complained I asked for an assurance that in future it would come before lunchtime, but was told it could actually be later than we are currently receiving it."

Another resident, in Wentworth Drive, said: "It is not as if we are miles out in the country - it takes less than five minutes to bike from the sorting office and now we are having our mail delivered seven hours late."

But James Taylor, spokesman for the Royal Mail, blamed the delays on "teething troubles" with the news system and said the situation would improve.

"The postmen and postwomen's rounds have been changed and it will take them a little while to get used to them and the rounds may take a bit longer during that time, but this will only be temporary," he said.

"We apologise to customers and ask them to be patient while the new system beds in. People certainly won't be receiving their post at 3pm every day and it is likely to be morning or by the latest lunchtime."

The Royal Mail decided to amalgamate first and second deliveries into one single round because second deliveries contained only a tiny proportion of mail, and two deliveries a day in urban areas was inefficient and costly. Second deliveries accounted for 20 per cent of Royal Mail costs, but represented just four pc of the daily mailbag.

Rounds now started from 8am and many households will have noticed little or no change from their current delivery times.

People who want their mail early in the day will be able to take advantage of a new free service and collect it from the delivery office in Hamilton Road from 8.30am on request.

Customers should apply in advance to that the security of the mail is protected. Application forms are available from the office at 143 Hamilton Road, Felixstowe, IP11 1AA.

n Are you experiencing postal problems? Write in to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.