COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

The postal watchdog is considering taking action against Royal Mail after finding quality tests had been rigged.

Postcomm, acting on an insider tip-off, found that addresses involved in testing deliveries in some areas had been passed on to staff.

Staff had also learned to recognise test mail and were able to prioritise it to ensure it arrived on time.

Royal Mail said that there had been "no material impact whatsoever" on its quality of service figures.

Tip-off

Postcomm's preliminary report said it was "minded" to find the company had breached its licence conditions for quality of service since 2006.

Royal Mail was obliged to use market research firm Research International to monitor the standard of its service.

Part of this clause also meant Royal Mail should make sure that the panellists used to send mail between each other to test delivery times remained anonymous.

But a 10-month investigation, launched after the tip-off, found test delivery addresses were circulated to Royal Mail workers and senior managers.

Postcomm was also told by its whistleblower that a microchip used to identify test mail could be felt through the covering of post, allowing staff to search for the relevant items.

However, the rigging did not make a "material difference" to the firm's published quality of service figures, the watchdog said.

Postcomm is expected to make a final decision on whether to take action against Royal Mail in May.

During Royal Mail's own investigation into what had happened a number of staff were suspended, it said.

It also said that the company had co-operated fully with the probe.

In a statement, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: "Following investigations by Royal Mail and Postcomm into allegations concerning quality of service measurement, primarily in local mail operations in the Motherwell area - announced last year - both Royal Mail and Postcomm found that there has been no material impact whatsoever on Royal Mail's Quality of Service figures."