PARCEL deliveries have been delayed in central Hampshire due to staff shortages at Winchester's sorting office.
Royal Mail says many packages have been held up by around 24 hours at the depot in Winnall within the last fortnight.
A spokeswoman said: "We had a problem and we are apologising to customers. We've had exceptional circumstances relating to staff sickness and vacancies."
Some employees were diverted from handling parcels to envelopes in a bid to speed things up, she said.
As a result, while the bulk of deliveries were punctual, the distribution of larger packages have been held up.
But one customer from South Wonston said she waited three weeks for a parcel to arrive.
The Royal Mail said the staff situation was not to blame.
It said it has hired seven extra staff to clear the backlog at the Winnall depot.
The extra workers should mean that deliveries will get back to normal, the spokeswoman added.
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