Royal Mail customers in Bridgwater, Somerset, have been left queuing for hours to collect essential post after some residents went up to six weeks without any deliveries. Locals reported missing prescriptions, bank statements, credit cards and other important documents, with some missing appointments as a result, while Royal Mail attributed the backlog to staff sickness. The situation highlights ongoing concerns about service reliability at the postal operator and raises particular worries about vulnerable residents unable to cope with long outdoor waits.

Residents were given two-hour collection windows, between 8am and 10am and 4pm and 6pm, leading to long queues outside the Friarn Street delivery office, with some people also sitting on a nearby wall while waiting. Support worker Tina Hucker said she had made multiple trips to check on prescription medication, while another resident, Jerry Lomax, said he risked losing a credit card that needed activating before he flew to Lisbon. Others, including 75-year-old retiree Jon Smith and residents Kieron and Shannon, described weeks without letters or parcels and raised concerns about elderly and disabled people struggling to queue safely beside a busy road.