FOUR areas of Essex are part of a postage "blacklist" with homeowners not receiving regular deliveries.

The Royal Mail has been forced to apologise for a lack of deliveries after its workforce has been hit with Covid cases and self-isolating staff.

The service has now published a list of 28 areas in the UK which have been affected by the shortage of staff, which includes Basildon, Grays, South Ockendon, and Chelmsford.

READ MORE:

A spokesman from Royal Mail, said: "All Royal Mail operational sites across the UK are working hard to deliver the most comprehensive service we can to all our customers in challenging circumstances. 

"In common with most organisations, we have a number of employees who are self-isolating in line with official regulations.

"This has a direct impact on our staffing levels. 

"Deliveries are being made every day and we are working hard to deliver as normal service as we can, drawing in extra resource where possible.

"Despite our best endeavours, some areas of the country may experience a temporary reduction in service levels due to unavoidable staff absences and essential social distancing measures.

"In such cases, we always work hard to get back to providing a normal service as quickly as possible."