'Dumped' Evri parcel deliveries criticised by MPs

Concerns over abandoned parcels and failed deliveries by courier firm Evri have been raised by MPs.

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage said she had been made aware of "numerous" cases of Evri parcels being "dumped or marked as delivered with no attempt made to actually reach the recipient".

Bournemouth East and Poole MPs Tom Hayes and Neil Duncan-Jordan have also written to Evri in the past week urging it to improve its service.

Evri has apologised and said its priority was to "handle every parcel with care".

Conservative MP Dinenage posted a copy of her letter to Evri chief executive Martijn de Lange on Facebook.

In it, she said she had been made aware of multiple incidents of parcels being "dumped without any attempt at delivery".

"With Christmas fast-approaching, residents are understandably distressed and frustrated by these failures, particularly where valuable gifts are involved," she added.

She called on the company to locate lost parcels and ensure staff are "operating to proper procedures".

Meanwhile her fellow Conservative, Romsey and Southampton North MP Caroline Noakes, also said "increasing numbers" of constituents had complained to her about failed Evri deliveries.

She said there had been "parcels abandoned in piles in random rural locations".

In his letter to Evri, also posted on Facebook, Labour's Duncan-Jordan highlighted parcels left at incorrect addresses, including those of vulnerable residents.

"This has lead to difficult, and in some cases distressing interactions for innocent residents, through no fault of their own."

Labour MP Hayes also raised complaints from his Bournemouth East constituents with the company's chief executive.

He said the knock-on effect on retailers using Evri was "enormous" as they faced having to resend goods or issue a refund.

"The volume and consistency of complaints points to systematic problems in Evri's local operations, rather than isolated mistakes," he wrote.

In a statement, Evri said it was in contact with local MPs and had requested more information from them.

"This is the busiest time of year for parcel deliveries, and demand is higher than ever as volumes double.

"Our priority is to handle every parcel with care, and we apologise to any customers in the area who have experienced issues.

"We're looking into cases with our delivery partners in the area, where deliveries do not meet the high standard we expect. Anyone who needs help can get in touch with our dedicated customer service team," it said.