Your Letters "Hidden"

A former Royal Mail employee has said staff at Tonbridge sorting office would drive stockpiles of undelivered letters in lorries around the M25 to avoid them being seen by inspectors.

The local MP Mike Martin says he’s appalled by the allegations and demanded that the Chief executive Royal Mail launch an urgent and independent investigation to get to the bottom of this.

ITV Meridian spoke with two former Royal Mail employees who worked in Tonbridge for a number of years.

They allege that letters would be hidden before inspectors arrived, either somewhere round the depot or driving them round the motorway.

The employee said there was no incentive to deliver letters quickly as they don’t make any money, so parcels were prioritised.

Royal Mail responded by saying the visual checks weren’t an accurate reflection of how quality of service is measured. It said quality of service statistics were recorded digitally every day.

Royal Mail said an independent quality measurer, overseen by regulator Ofcom, had recently shown a significant improvement in service levels in Tonbridge. 

This is the full text of the letter sent on Wednesday by Mike Martin MP, who's the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, which is covered by deliveries from Tonbridge sorting office.

Dear Mr Cochrane,
Re: Allegations of performance coverups at Royal Mail's Tonbridge Depot
I am appalled to have learnt through an ITV report today of damming allegations of a coverup at Royal Mail's Tonbridge Depot in an attempt to obfuscate the true scale of its poor performance. As you will be aware, the TN postal area is one of the worst-performing regions in the country for Royal Mail.
I am writing to ask that you step in and launch an immediate and independent investigation into these allegations so that we can get to the truth quickly. Public confidence in your delivery service in the TN postal area has collapsed over the last year and these fresh allegations will only amplify the level of distrust and outrage with the postal service in our communities.
Two former employees at the Tonbridge Depot allege that undelivered letters were hidden on inspection days, either at the depot or in vans that were driven around the M25 until the inspectors had left. The allegations further claim that the depot leaves letters behind "to collect dust" because of a financial incentive to prioritise parcel delivery.
I recently launched a survey to find out the extent of postal delays in Tunbridge Wells in the last year, and the results shocked me. 94% of respondents experienced postal delays and 30% missed appointments or deadlines as a result. 65% had waited for two weeks or more for post to arrive.
The medical and financial harm this has caused my constituents cannot be understated. I have heard from residents who have missed critical operations and medical appointments. Others have missed credit card bills, fines, and have had their house sales delayed.
These fresh allegations insinuate that delays are not an unfortunate consequence of a struggling service provider but the result of an intentional act of commercial sabotage taken by the leadership at the Tonbridge Depot.
I look forward to your urgent response to this matter.