People are still waiting for Christmas deliveries from Evri parcel firm formally known as Hermes

Parcel firm Evri who was formally known as Hermes have apologised to their customers who are still waiting for delayed Christmas deliveries amid staff shortages, Royal Mail strikes and bad weather.

Labour MP Carolyn Harris accused Evri of causing “misery” to their customers over the festive period and she has called for an “urgent explanation.”

Harris said in December that thousands of households are already struggling amid the sot of living crisis and many families had stretched their budgets to buy presents.

An Evri spokeswoman said,“We are sorry that some customers are experiencing short, localised delays in receiving their parcels.

“We continue to be impacted by high demand, staff shortages and bad weather conditions but due to the hard work of our local teams, we successfully delivered over three million parcels each day over recent weeks.

“Despite incredible efforts from all of our people, our service has not been as good as we would have liked in some areas, and we are committed to redoubling our efforts this year including a focus on recruitment.

“In some local areas, there are still some delayed parcels that should be cleared over the next few days and we apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment.

“However, in the unlikely event that a parcel hasn’t been delivered within 10 days, we would advise customers to contact their retailer/seller who will in turn contact us if necessary.”

Harris said in a letter to the Evri chief executive Martijn De Lange said, “With thousands of households already struggling during the current cost of living crisis, few will be in a position to replace parcels that do not arrive.

“Many will have already stretched their budgets to buy gifts for family and friends, ensuring they purchased in good time for Christmas deliveries.

“A number of well-known and respected retailers have chosen Evri as their delivery partner with the understanding that demand can be met.

“Yet seeing images from your depots with parcels being sorted on the street, and reading endless social media posts about missing deliveries, suggests that this is far from the case.”