People across the UK could find themselves awaiting parcels from Royal Mail that little bit longer, as strikes have seen thousands of workers walk out in a dispute over pay and working conditions.
During Christmas, posties and delivery drivers are typically busier than ever, reports the Mirror. However, this year thousands of workers took part in industrial action, meaning that thousands of festive gifts were left undelivered.
And now, customers are being warned to be on the lookout for a cart with a certain four-digit code on it. Royal Mail uses a special code - P739 - to indicate that a delivery has failed.
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If you receive a card like this, then you'll have to collect the parcel yourself through the Post Office or sorting hub. However, this may mean the delivery could be delayed further, dependant on when you first see or receive the card.
In some cases, you may be able to reorganise the delivery on a different day - but you'll have to make sure you're in this time!
This news has come as 115,000 postal workers took part in a 48-hour strike on December 23, which is expected to contribute to delays in the days leading up to New Year.
Royal Mail bosses have also been accused of telling staff to hold off on sending Christmas cards, and deliver parcels instead. Last year, one postal worker who was accused of "pretending" to ring a customer's doorbell with a parcel. vowed not to deliver mail to that resident again.
The postman adamantly denied the accusation against him.
A Royal Mail spokesperson at the time said: "Every single item of mail is important to us.
“Our postmen and women work extremely hard to deliver to mail to customers across the country, six days a week, in all weathers.
"Thankfully the vast majority of items are securely delivered to customers, but if we believe a customer is not at home, we will attempt to deliver the item to a neighbour and leave a card.
"If we can't deliver to them, we'll leave a card and take the item back to the Customer Service Point where customers can either collect it or arrange a redelivery.
"We would advise anyone who has delivery concerns can contact the Royal Mail customer service team."
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