Post chiefs are savaged

London postal chiefs have been forced to apologise to MPs for the "Third World" state of deliveries.

Details of the row emerged as new figures reveal standards in the South-East have slumped badly, with fewer first-class letters being delivered on time - and many parts of London getting a slower service than remote Scottish islands.

In almost every part of the capital, letters and packages missed the target for 92.5 per cent to be safely delivered by the next day.

The Royal Mail apology came after a private Commons meeting between London Labour MPs and three senior executives - London area director Roger Baynes, external relations head Melanie Corfield and government relations head Mick Fisher.

The trio found themselves under a hail of fire after agreeing to hear MPs' concerns over reports of poor service standards. Former minister Kate Hoey and Hendon MP Andrew Dismore led the attack - and were described as "tearing strips" off the Royal Mail team. Ealing MP Steve Pound told how he had seen trolleys of mail left chained to railings by postmen unable to deliver it all, only to be set on fire by yobs.

He had seen untrained casual staff looking lost in the streets, poring over A-Zs.

"They promised us we will all have a delivery by 2pm at the latest - as if that is something to be proud of," he said afterwards. "At the moment Post Office credibility is somewhere below zero."

Ms Hoey raged that she had come from a meeting with constituents who had stopped getting vital letters on time because deliveries were cut back without notice.

One colleague said: "Kate and Andrew really let rip. She tore strips off them over the way the service had gone downhill." She said later: "I felt they needed to know how angry we were. Some of my local residents are quite desperate.

"We don't blame our postmen - it seems to be the way they are being managed.

"Postmen have always been respected people by the public - but the management seem to be doing everything they can to wreck a once-proud service."

Today the Royal Mail ate humble pie - and admitted its service was "not up to scratch". Ms Corfield confirmed that many of the MPs' complaints were fully justified.

"We fully accept the service is not all that it should be in London," she said.

"All the MPs were critical and clearly concerned about services in parts of London.

"We are redoubling efforts to get it back up to scratch."