Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, has called on Ministers to urgently strengthen the regulation of parcel delivery companies after raising widespread failures affecting rural communities.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate last week, Mr Chadwick highlighted the growing frustration, anxiety and disruption faced by residents across rural Wales, particularly during the run-up to Christmas, when delivery problems were at their worst.

Constituents across Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe reported parcels being marked as delivered when they had not arrived, items left at farm gates or on main roads, and essential goods delayed for days or weeks before being declared lost. In many cases, people found it almost impossible to speak to a real person to resolve problems. The problems were particularly prevalent in Radnorshire.

The MP argued that these issues are systemic and driven by corporate leadership decisions, with rural areas consistently bearing the brunt. While missed deliveries in towns and cities can often be resolved by nearby collection points or neighbours, rural communities face longer delays, fewer alternatives, and greater disruption when delivery rounds are understaffed or fail.

Residents in the Teme Valley described repeated problems with courier company Evri, with one constituent saying they had “never received a single Evri parcel on time”, and that many never arrived at all. Others reported paying extra for faster delivery, only to lose both their parcels and their money, before having to spend hours chasing refunds.

Mr Chadwick also pointed to a fundamental lack of consumer choice. While postal reforms were meant to introduce competition, customers are rarely able to choose which courier delivers their goods, leaving them stuck with poor service and little accountability when things go wrong.

During the debate, Chadwick called for clear, enforceable regulatory standards covering parcel delivery across all areas, including rural Wales. These should include rules on where parcels can be left, accurate and meaningful tracking information, and proper access to human customer service when parcels are delayed, misdelivered or lost. He stressed that companies which repeatedly fail customers must face real consequences, not just guidance or warm words.

One resident of Llaithddu described how their community has effectively become a “pseudo post office”, with neighbours alerting one another when parcels are dumped. Even that extraordinary effort, they said, does not always prevent parcels from being damaged or lost altogether.

Commenting after the debate, Mr Chadwick said: “Rural communities are fed up with being treated as an afterthought. People lose money, time and peace of mind when parcel deliveries fail, and too often there is no accountability.

“Rural Wales deserves reliable services, clear standards and real consequences for companies that repeatedly get it wrong. Ministers must act to ensure parcel delivery works for every part of the country, not just the easiest ones to serve."

When asked to respond to these comments, a spokesperson for Evri told the Brecon & Radnor Express said: “We successfully deliver over 900 million parcels each year, including to rural areas like the Teme Valley, and we set the industry standard for right-first-time deliveries.

“We have invested in technology, like geo-fenced deliveries and AI-powered tracking, to ensure parcels arrive safely and on time. We’re currently the only delivery company to mandate a photo for proof of delivery, and we have robust performance monitoring for our couriers.

“Our app also gives customers more visibility and control of their deliveries, enabling them to nominate a safe place or divert their parcel to a neighbour or ParcelShop for when they may not be home, while customers can contact our dedicated customer service team should they need support.”