Postal desert island: Mull’s residents cut off from civilisation by Royal Mail
The allure of the Isle of Mull is its sense of apartness. In summer, flocks of tourists make the 45-minute crossing from the mainland to sample life on the edge. From the point of view of its 3,000 residents, modern transport and communications have brought them closer to the rest of the country than ever. But now, thanks to Royal Mail, islanders fear they are being returned to isolation.
For the last three years, parts of Mull have been cut off from mail deliveries for days. Since March, those days have turned into weeks.
Residents have missed hospital appointments, bank cards and passports have been held up, and penalty charge notices gone unpaid. A former postman suggests there are 50 cages of mail bound for Mull stranded in the mainland sorting office in Oban.
Last week, households in the village of Dervaig and the surrounding area, a 40-mile postal round, were informed that their temporary postal worker could no longer oblige due to reduced ferry timetables.
They would have to collect their post from Tobermory, the main town. That’s a 45-minute round trip over mountain roads for those with a car; an hour on the occasional buses.
The tiny Scottish community is one of numerous “postal deserts” across the UK where first-class mail can take two weeks to arrive. From Brighton to Bromley in north London, from Salford to Lerwick, daily deliveries are a privilege of the past as strikes, staff and vehicle shortages plunge Royal Mail’s performance to a record low.
Last week, the communications regulator Ofcom announced it was opening an investigation after new figures showed it failed to meet its performance targets for 2022/23. More than 11% of delivery rounds were missed and more than a quarter of first-class mail didn’t arrive
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