Royal Mail failed to deliver one in four first-class letters on time in the months after it was taken over by the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, it has been reported.
The postal service, which is already under scrutiny after it increased the cost of a first-class stamp to £1.70 in April, is failing to meet the targets imposed by the watchdog.
Ofcom requires the Royal Mail to deliver 90 per cent of first-class post the next working day and 98.5 per cent of second-class post within three working days.
However, new figures reveal that just 75.9 per cent of first-class letters and 89.3 per cent of second-class post were delivered on time between the end of March and June.
The stats are the first to be released since the postal service - which traces its lineage back to Henry VIII - fell under foreign ownership for the first time.
