Mail centre's bid to 'deliver a great Christmas'

Royal Mail has brought in 15,000 additional workers to help over the festive period

The Royal Mail is set to have its busiest day of the year on Wednesday when around 35 million items of post will be delivered across the UK.

With just over a week to go until Christmas Day, BBC South East reporter Phil Harrison visited Medway Mail Centre in Rochester, Kent, on Monday to watch the final preparations.

Given that Wednesday is the last day for second class and second class signed for, with Friday the same for first class and Royal Mail Tracked 48, the centre is a hub of activity.

Jay Brooks, the regional operations director for Royal Mail in the South East, said they were "well set up" for the busiest week of the year.

Jay Brooks is the regional operations director for Royal Mail in the South East

"We've brought in 15,000 additional workers across the country to support us with the high volumes. Tomorrow [Tuesday] alone will be our busiest day of the year, we will see 35 million letters and nine million parcels pass through our network," he said.

Tom Bailey, plant manager at the Medway Mail Centre, laid bare the scale of the effort.

"We currently are processing between 2.1 and 2.2 million items every day at Medway...I will be processing 350,000 parcels/Christmas presents a day," he explained.

The motivation, he says, is to "deliver a fantastic Christmas" for people across Kent and beyond.

Royal Mail workers at the Medway Mail Centre preparing parcels for delivery

Though the centre's shift manager Calum Chatfield is relishing the busy period, the mammoth effort required does take its toll.

"We're reacting well to the busy time at the moment but my team and I will certainly be looking forward to relaxing come Boxing Day," he said.

Royal Mail does not deliver on Christmas Day, nor is there post on Boxing Day or New Year's Day.

Tom Bailey says more than two million items are currently being processed at the centre every day