Royal Mail delivered 94.5 per cent of first class mail on time in the Bradford area between April and December last year, new figures reveal.

The statistics also show that targets for second class mail and standard retail parcels were also surpassed in the same period.

However, the period the figures refer to do not take into consideration the impact of the closure of delivery offices in Bradford district.

The Shipley office closes on March 11, while the ones at Bradford West and Bingley have already shut.

Royal Mail delivery director Steve McGuinness said: “This is traditionally Royal Mail’s toughest quarter with a steep rise in mail volumes, notably parcels and the likelihood of bad weather.

“We are pleased that we are continuing to deliver high quality service to our customers in the BD postcode area. Our postmen and women work extremely hard to deliver to some of the most demanding Quality of Service standards in the whole of Europe.”

Between April and December last year, Royal Mail delivered 98.6 per cent of second class mail within three days of posting. Its target was 98.5 per cent.

Delivery of standard retail parcels was ahead of the 90 per cent target of delivery within three working days with a 96.2 per cent performance.

In the third quarter, running from September 24 to December 2 last year, Royal Mail also delivered the vast majority of mail within its quality of service targets.

Second class mail was on target with 98.5 per cent delivered within three working days, while 94.8 per cent of standard parcels were delivered on time. First class was behind target at 91.2 per cent.

A spokesman said: “The recent strong performance by Royal Mail’s postmen and women in the BD postcode area was delivered as the company continues its huge modernisation programme, one of the biggest transformations under way anywhere in UK industry.

“New technology and better equipment is being deployed progressively nationwide and the working practices of postmen and women are changing. This includes offices in the BD postcode area where changes to deliveries are enabling Royal Mail to respond to a changing mailbag and deliver more parcels safely and securely to customers.”

Royal Mail also beat delivery targets in the Halifax and Leeds areas.