How safe is your post?

IT ONCE symbolised everything that was British. The stalwart postman turning out at the crack of dawn to ensure your letters landed on the doormat as you tucked into breakfast - punctual, smart, reliable and trustworthy.

But now the Royal Mail is in disarray.

Dogged by missed targets, lost post, dumped mail, staff shortages and even one case of a Hampshire postie who masterminded a £10,000 fraud, the Royal Mail is under fire.

Hampshire residents are rapidly losing faith in a system they once held dear.

So with double the post flooding through the country's sorting offices this Christmas - 166 million items a day - how safe is our post?

Yesterday, the Daily Echo told how bags of dumped mail were found in a Chandler's Ford street.

Letters destined for residents were discovered left outside a Royal Mail lock-up box at the corner of Coach Hill Close and Wellbrooke Gardens - because the temporary postie did not have a key for the drop-off point.

Earlier this year, the Daily Echo received hundreds of letters and e-mails from fed-up homeowners, business leaders and postmen, following the biggest shake-up of the postal service for years - the scrapping of the second daily delivery.

Now Hampshire MPs are calling for an urgent investigation into the state of the service.

But Royal Mail chiefs say 99.92 per cent of all post arrives safely at its destination. Only 0.005 per cent of letters are stolen - and 90 per cent of thefts happen when postmen are attacked.

In Southampton, 91.3 per cent of first class mail is delivered on time, exceeding the 91 per cent target.

Following the figures released last month, Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton said: "We're back in profit, figures for lost mail have been halved and customer service is improving."

However, Eastleigh's Lib Dem MP David Chidgey said the Royal Mail is in crisis - and increasingly so.

"In all the years I have been an MP, one thing always to the forefront of the postal service was the integrity of the posties, and their unique position of trust," he said.

"I can only think that the change in employment structure and recruiting policy, with people being taken on without checking references, is now causing a slur on the integrity of genuine professional staff.

"The message I get from constituents is that the service they once took for granted as professional and reliable is now not one they can rely on. It's a relief if mail arrives.

"There's no point making swingeing savings at the expense of the service, because you lose the customer base."

Referring to the latest scandal, Southampton Itchen MP John Denham said discoveries of abandoned mail demanded immediate explanation.

"There needs to be an urgent investigation and explanation from management as to whether this was a genuine accident or whether someone deliberately dumped this post rather than deliver it," he said.

"It is a scandalous breach of trust for post to be lost."

The Labour backbencher's comments were echoed by Romsey MP Sandra Gidley, who called for struggling managers to be weeded out of the service.

"It's not the workers' fault - they may not have thought through the implications of dumping post. If the management don't deliver, their jobs should be reconsidered," she said.

Alan Whitehead, Southampton Test MP, added that the problem was the result of using temporary workers who may not be as committed to delivering a quality service as permanent posties.

Southampton takes on about 30 per cent extra staff to cope with the Christmas workload, when they deal with double the amount of post - 14.3 million items - in the busiest December week.

But a city postman, who wished to remain anonymous, said temps were not trained properly.

"The regulars will always finish their rounds but the temporary workers have not got a hope," he said.

"They don't have any idea where to go or what to do.

"They are given a map and told to get on with it. No one shows them where to go.

"The trouble is they will be on a different round the next day so they can't even get used to one route.

"The permanent staff all have eight or nine rounds each. We know the areas. But people who are not from round here don't."

Communication Workers Union spokesman Chris Beams, who has been a Shirley postman for the past 20 years, said: "We used to get a lot of training. I know I did. I think it may have gone down a little now.

"I don't know the level of tuition they get these days but I'm sure they don't get told to go around dumping things.

"Ninety-nine per cent of us are honest and do the job properly. Most people in the Royal Mail work there all their lives but we all get tarred with the same brush.

"Obviously they don't tell people to go around dumping mail but you will always get someone who doesn't care."

A Royal Mail spokesman said post problems were a rarity.

"The fact is that your mail is very safe in our hands," he said.

"The overwhelming majority of our people are honest and work very hard to provide an efficient service.

"Royal Mail continues to provide value for money that is second to none when compared to its counterparts throughout the world.

"The first class postage of 28p is the second lowest in Europe - a 60g letter posted first class in Germany would cost around double the amount it costs in the UK.

"While Royal Mail aims to complete its deliveries by around lunchtime, other administrations do not finish their deliveries until early evening.

"Even then delivery is not always made to your door, rather a box at the end of your driveway, or even at the end of your road."

What do you think? Have you got something to say about the postal service. Contact Sarah Lefebve or Claire Moriarty on 023 8042 4996 or e-mail sarah at sarah.lefebve@soton-echo.co.uk