Pigeon post - is Royal Mail now delivered by pigeon ? Red pillar box

Royal Mail to be investigated for missed delivery targets Royal Mail is facing an investigation by the industry watchdog after it failed to meet its delivery targets over the past year. Ofcom said it would consider whether any "exceptional events" explained why Royal Mail fell short. But if there were no "satisfactory explanation", the regulator said it would consider imposing a fine. The postal service delivered only 73.7% of First Class mail within a day - far short of the 93% target. Ofcom said the impact of Covid was no longer "an excuse for poor delivery performance". If Royal Mail is fined, it would be its second penalty since 2019 when it paid out £1.5m for failing to deliver first class letters on time. A Quality of Service report from Royal Mail also showed it delivered only 90.7% of second class mail within three days, below a target of 98.5%. A spokesperson for Royal Mail said it was "disappointed" with its performance, adding: "We will participate fully with any Ofcom's investigation." "Ofcom takes quality of service very seriously, " the regulator said. "In deciding whether the company is in breach of its obligations, we will consider if there were any exceptional events - beyond the company's control - that may have explained why it missed its targets."If it does not provide a satisfactory explanation and we determine that Royal Mail has failed to comply with its obligations, we may consider whether to impose a financial penalty, " it said. On Friday, Royal Mail's chief executive Simon Thompson announced that he would leave, meaning the company will soon be searching for its third boss in five years. Royal Mail said its services had been affected by 18 days of strike action and that high levels of staff absence continued to hamper operations. It said it hoped an agreement reached last month with Communication Workers Union (CWU) would resolve the matter and allow it to "rapidly improve" its services.