Royal Mail says sorry for delays caused by seagulls

One Liskeard resident described it as "deadly" to go outside when the birds are nesting

Residents in a town in Cornwall have received a letter from Royal Mail apologising for late mail - explaining that its delivery workers were being hampered by dive-bombing seagulls.

Royal Mail said those living in the affected zone in Liskeard could choose to wait until the birds were not aggressively protecting their young, or nominate a new address.

One Liskeard resident described it as "deadly" to go outside when the birds were nesting.

In the letter, Royal Mail assured customers the company would be "monitoring the situation on a daily basis".

It read: "As you may be aware, we are currently experiencing some difficulties safely delivering to you and your neighbour due to seagulls in the area, swooping at delivering staff in order to protect their young.

"The purpose of this letter is to firstly advise you of the issues we are experiencing but also to assure you that we will continue to attempt deliveries every day."

It added: "Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may cause but whilst Royal Mail is committed to providing a consistent daily delivery to addresses, we do place the highest priority on the safety of our employees."

'Deadly to go out'

Local resident Naomi said the seagulls nest on her neighbouring property for six weeks every year.

"I've got a nest on my neighbour's roof at the minute actually and we have six weeks every year when it’s sort of deadly to go out," she said.

"My oldest son in particular gets swooped every morning when he goes off to college.

"It’s really a daily occurrence where I’m seeing people that are walking by or delivering things getting swooped."