Last posting dates for Christmas mail

CHRISTMAS Day may be six weeks away but postal bosses are warning that deadlines for sending mail abroad are already approaching.

Royal Mail, which expects to deliver a festive postbag of more than two billion items, has announced the following recommended last posting dates for overseas surface mail, airmail items and UK mail:

Overseas surface mail:

November 23—Western Europe

Airmail:

December 6—South and Central America, Africa, Caribbean, Far East (including Japan), Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

December 10—Eastern Europe, USA, Canada.

December 13—Western Europe.

UK mail:

December 18—Second Class.

December 21—First Class.

December 23—Special Delivery.

Parcels:

For standard parcels weighing up to 20kgs and under 1.5m in length, the posting deadline for delivery by Royal Mail in the UK and the Channel Islands is December 15.

Royal Mail also provides a special Letters to Santa delivery service to and from Santa's Grotto each year and is advising children that they need to have their letters written, stamped and posted by Wednesday, December 15 in order to receive a personal reply from Santa before Christmas Eve,

Letters should be addressed to Santa, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, SAN TA1.

For information about all Royal Mail services, log on to www.royalmail.com ring 08457 740740, or ask at any post office.