With just two weeks until Christmas, retailers including John Lewis, Boots and HMV have blamed Royal Mail for delivery delays.

The company has acknowledged the delays and said they are down to high volumes of post, anti-Covid measures in it delivery office and some additional coronavirus-related sickness absence, as reported by the BBC.

Online shoppers have messaged Royal Mail to complain about delayed parcels - some arriving weeks later than expected. Others have complained that their post is arriving less often.

The postal group said that some customers may be experiencing a slightly longer wait for their post, despite the planning it has put into dealing with increased volumes during the pandemic.

It is particularly challenging for small businesses, who risk losing their reputation over delayed deliveries.

Royal Mail said that online Christmas shopping had increased dramatically. driven by the recent lockdown.

It has hired around 33,000 temporary workers to support its 115,000 permanent postmen and women.

Royal Mail said it is working hard to get back to its usual level of service as quickly as possible.