THE postal service in Poole has got better over the past year, reflecting a national trend.

In April 2004, the Daily Echo reported post was being delivered late and misdirected.

Then in July last year bundles of letters were found dumped and undelivered in the borough.

But from April to August this year 94.9 per cent of mail sent to "BH" addresses arrived on time - the target is 91.4 per cent.

And in an experiment by the Daily Echo, nearly all of the first class letters and packages got there the next day.

Dan Panes, from Royal Mail, said: "From last April to June last year we had pretty bad figures.

"This was due to a huge number of changes in delivery offices and the way we deliver. We held our hands up but thought things would improve."

In the Echo experiment, out of 40 items of mail sent out from different post boxes in Poole, the Post Office in High Street, and a post box in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, only a couple arrived late.

One was a letter to Caerphilly in Wales, arriving three days late, and one to Scotland - one day late.

Mr Panes said: "This could have been for any number of reasons, from fog at the airport to a road traffic accident on the motorway."

Other mail sent to areas including London, Birmingham, Leicestershire, Portsmouth, Chelmsford and Bangor in Northern Ireland all got there on time.

Second class post send took two days to arrive. It should take three or four days.

A card with a few pence in also did not arrive. Mr Panes said: "We always ask people not to send coins in the post because they are hard edged.

"They can catch on the machinery and clog it up while it is removed - and this slows down the other letters on the conveyor belt."

Royal Mail announced record profits of £537million in May and had the best deliveries in a decade, getting 92.8 per cent of post there on time between January and March this year.

Since the operator started a turnaround plan three years ago it has axed more than 33,000 jobs and closed 2,500 urban Post Offices.

If you have any comments about your postal service contact Emily at emily.twinch@bournemouthecho.co.uk.

First published: October 3