500,000 letters lost every week

Five hundred thousand letters go astray every week, the Royal Mail has admitted.

Thousands are delivered to the wrong house, while many more never reach their destinations because they are badly addressed.

The total of 400,000 items never reaching their destination and 100,000 which are at least 15 days late was highlighted in the first official annual study by Royal Mail since it became part of Consignia.

The figures emerged as Consignia narrowly escaped an £8million fine from the industry regulator, Postcomm, for missing targets and was warned it would have to pay compensation unless it improved.

The latest study reflects an Evening Standard survey published yesterday, which showed more than one in five first-class letters arrive late.

Mick Linsell, of the Royal Mail's service delivery division, said that better training and equipment were needed but he pointed out that 15 million letters not properly addressed arrive on time every week. "Our people accomplish some real feats in delivering."