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Brexit & COVID-19’s impact on the Courier Industry

Posted on: January 20, 2021 2:50 pm

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The perfect storm!

Brexit, COVID-19 19 and the third lockdown has resulted in the perfect storm for the UK and the postal service. The Royal Mail are currently battling against an increase in volumes with a reduction in staff due to COVID-19 and the extra paperwork and protocols involved in shipping outside of the UK.

Royal Mail listed 28 areas where post might be late, with 27 in England and one in Northern Ireland.

Problems with deliveries over Christmas had prompted shoppers to complain about parcels not arriving on time.

Royal Mail responded: “Despite our best efforts and significant investment in extra resource, some customers may experience slightly longer delivery timescales than our usual service standards”

Many of the affected areas are in or near London, while others include Chelmsford in Essex, Leeds in West Yorkshire, Margate in Kent, Widnes in Cheshire and Bristol.

This has led to a genuine concern for the vaccination invitations getting caught up in the Royal Mail systems and not getting delivered urgently to the people waiting to be vaccinated.

With domestic postal deliveries being restricted Brexit has had a similar effect on delaying and even in some situations cancelling courier deliveries to Europe due to delays at European check points. It has led to some of the overnight carriers suspending some services. DPD have suspended their European Road Service due to the delays currently being experienced

Even the overnight courier services within the domestic markets have been effected with a number of timed deliveries being removed due to operational shortages. Where some areas used to enjoy pre-9 and pre 10am service to ease the burden on the couriers these are being removed and only an end of day service now being available.

Public Health England (PHE) have advised that people receiving parcels and packages are not at risk of contracting Covid-19, in fact it is safer to stay at home and accept a delivery rather than visit the shops. With this in mind all of our couriers are prioritising the health and welfare of both staff and customers by taking sensible precautions to reduce the spread of Covid-19 whilst minimising service disruptions. Depots are reducing the amount of non-essential staff by encouraging working from home where possible. Shifts are being staggered to reduce contact between staff and regular, thorough cleaning is taking place in depots and on vehicles.

Following developments regarding the recent COVID-19 outbreak around the world, all countries are taking additional precautions to maintain the health of their citizens. Flight cancellations and tighter border controls are resulting in delays to most foreign destinations.

Many countries are shutting non-essential shops and businesses so if you’re sending abroad please check that your customers are open to accept parcels before posting to avoid further complications.

Our Same Day Courier services have not been affected by the latest lockdown restrictions and all of our couriers are working around the clock collecting and delivering. All our couriers are wearing the correct PPE and maintaining social distances when interacting with our customers.

We have seen a huge demand for COVID-19 Tests delivered Same Day during this latest lockdown. If you are looking for a Same Day Courier Service in Birmingham then please get in touch. Our express courier service enables us to collect 24/7 and guarantee your COVID-19 Test delivery at the testing centres.

Proof of delivery signatures are only taken where necessary and photographs are now being used in place of signatures.