ROYAL Mail has invested an extra £20m to get the Christmas post delivered on time following severe winter weather.
The organisation said it had made “significant” extra resources available to those regions worst-hit by recent heavy snow – Yorkshire, the north-east, Scotland and the Midlands.
It had recruited an extra 3,000 people to support its Christmas operation as well as 500 additional professional HGV drivers and an extra 250 large lorries to complement its existing fleet.
Royal Mail expects to handle up to 130m Christmas cards, letters and presents ordered online on the busiest days in the run-up to Christmas Day.
Activity is being stepped up as the UK experiences the longest period of prolonged cold weather and snowfall for almost 30 years.
Mark Higson, Royal Mail managing director, said: “We are pulling out all the stops to deliver this Christmas.
“The worst December weather the UK has seen in almost 30 years has had an impact on our services to some parts of the country.
“With this additional £20m investment, we are committed to ensure we deliver letters and packets as quickly as possible.
“Our people are doing a great job in very challenging conditions.
“I would like to thank them for their tremendous efforts to ensure we continue to deliver right up until Christmas Eve.”
Today (Tuesday, December 21) is the last chance for First Class mail and packets.
The deadline for Special Delivery is Thursday, December 23.
For further details go to www.royal mail.com/serviceupdates
