CUSTOMERS trying to pick up Christmas parcels from the Royal Mail's depot in Midland Road were today faced with long delays.
One business affected was the Derby Telegraph, which was unable to pick up any of its mail.
Facilities co-ordinator John Forde said he went to the sorting office as usual at 8.30am only to find big queues of people waiting.
The usual sack of mail was not ready. He went back three times, but each time there was no sign of it.
John said: "The guy at the counter said we should complain to the management. He said something about them not having any staff in the sorting office over the weekend, so a backlog built up.
"There were one or two other guys there who normally pick up their mail and there was nothing for them either.
"People were queueing out of the door and the traffic wardens were going around ticketing cars who had parked outside. No-one is going to buy a ticket when they think they'll only be there for five minutes."
A spokesman for the city council said it would not yet be able to reveal the number of parking tickets handed out around the sorting office.
