POSTAL chaos in Blackburn has left residents waiting more than a week for their mail as workers deal with massive backlogs.

Unions today blamed the sorting office delays on an increased workload following the Royal Mail's decision to axe the second post - and said machinery problems, sickness, staff shortages and the Bank Holiday weekend had made them worse.

East Lancashire Royal Mail union representatives and managers were due to discuss the situation at one of their regular meetings in Preston today.

Yesterday in the Commons, Burnley MP Peter Pike prompted Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt to apologise over "absolute chaos" involving postal deliveries.

Nationally, Royal Mail ended second deliveries at the end of March to save costs, after losing £1million a day last year. Second deliveries dealt with just four per cent of all mail, yet accounted for 20 per cent of costs. Delivery route changes and new sorting arrangements are being introduced at all sorting office sites.

In Blackburn, people have complained of delays of up to eight or ten days. One disabled woman, from Shakespeare Way, was forced to buy a car tax disc because her tax exemption letter had not arrived. She said: "We have no idea when the post is coming from one day to the next. We've had post in the wrong letter boxes, opened by the wrong residents, and then re-sealed. I haven't seen a postman for days. I wrote and complained, and I found a Royal Mail letter of apology in my back garden eight days later."

Complaints of late mail have also arisen in Burnley, where one woman waited weeks for a birthday present from Australia and postal staff threatened to strike earlier this year over workloads.

Tony Humphrys, Blackburn branch representative for the Communication Workers' Union, blamed sorting machinery problems, staff sickness and shortages, increasing amounts of post, and delays elsewhere for the problems at Blackburn sorting office, in Canterbury Street.

"This new delivery system is failing customers," he said.

He said urgent post was prioritised, such as Giro cheques, pensions and benefits.

But he said: "I'm very concerned we haven't got enough men to deliver the mail in time. Without investment in manpower, we are failing the people of Blackburn. And because there is now only one delivery we are carrying more weight and the sickness levels are higher."

Royal Mail has had no reported problems at delivery offices in Accrington, Darwen, Barnoldswick, Nelson, Clitheroe and Rossendale.

Spokeswoman Wendy Martin said unions and staff at each office were involved in drawing up the new routes, and negotiations would continue. She stressed that bosses and union representatives regularly meet to discuss on-going problems, which varied according to individual offices.

"Everybody has had to learn new routes and a new sorting-system. It is an enormous change to the way we operate and there are teething problems. Staff have been up-against-it and mail has being going out later than it should be.

"We apologise to any customers who've been effected. But we're making good progress. If it means we need extra staff, we will do that and have done so. We'll address the issues as we go along."

The Royal Mail has made changes to its leadership following attacks on mis-delivery of letters and claims of theft among staff. Chief executive Adam Crozier will take charge of the day to day operational running of the letters business and executive deputy chairman Elmar Toime will concentrate on the performance of the parcels business.