An Post has issued advice to Irish customers in the wake of the Holyhead closure(Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

An Post issues ‘urgent’ update on Christmas deliveries amid chaos caused by Holyhead closure

by · Irish Mirror

An Post has issued an "urgent" update in relation to the delivery of parcels arriving from overseas for Christmas amid chaos caused by the ongoing closure of Holyhead.

It was confirmed on Friday that the Welsh port would remain closed until Thursday, December 19 “at the earliest” following damage caused by Storm Darragh last weekend. As a result, fears have grown that the delivery of orders from UK retailers may be affected and that packages wouldn’t arrive in time for Christmas.

On Friday, An Post issued an “urgent” update on the situation, saying that the last of 150,000 parcels destined for An Post and affected by the Holyhead closure have been re-routed to other UK ports.

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350,000 UK parcels arrived into An Post hubs on Thursday night and Friday morning and will be processed and delivered tomorrow and into next week, An Post said.

The postal service added that it had “the latest technology, equipment and additional Christmas staff” to meet the challenge of delivering the parcels on time, although it warned that ferries bringing incoming goods to Irish ports from the UK will also be carrying outbound parcels to the UK and beyond and that “this may add some time to the journey.”

Holyhead will remain closed until next Thursday, at the earliest(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

An Post said it will be delivering up to Christmas Eve all international and national parcels received into its hubs by Saturday, December 21. Another update on the situation will be issued on Sunday, with An Post delivering the following advice to Irish customers in the meantime.

  • If you ordered pre Storm Darragh and haven’t received your parcel yet, we expect it should arrive in the coming days but check directly with your retailer.
  • If you are planning to order from UK retailers, check with them regarding their delivery dates for Ireland – many of them have secured working routes into Ireland, though dispatch times from the UK may take longer than usual.
  • An Post advises customers to shop local with Irish e-tailers, and buy Irish.
  • There will be nationwide parcel deliveries and all post offices will remain open tomorrow - Saturday December 14.
  • Please post your parcels and cards as soon as possible.

A statement by An Post issued on Friday afternoon read: “There is ongoing speculation as to a resumption date for ferry traffic through Holyhead but as of this morning, the last of the 150,000 UK parcels destined for An Post and affected by the port closure have been re-routed to other UK ports.

“Many UK retailers are working with ferry companies to secure alternative routes on larger vessels into Ireland while Holyhead remains closed. Larger capacity ferries are now accessing Ireland from Wales, Scotland and Liverpool via Rosslare Europort, Larne and Dublin Port, and will continue to do so right up to Christmas and into New Year 2025."

“Overnight and this morning, An Post received over 350,000 UK parcels into its Dublin, Portlaoise and Athlone hubs for processing and delivery tomorrow (Saturday) and early next week, the statement continued.

“These large hubs have the latest technology, equipment and additional Christmas staff to meet this challenge and to deal with parcels arriving by air, as well as large volumes of domestic parcels being posted by Irish brands and personal customers.

“The ferries bringing incoming goods via Dublin, Larne and Rosslare are also carrying outbound parcel traffic back to the UK and beyond, though this may add some time to the journey.”

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