IT is good to hear that Royal Mail has improved its parcels performance ("Royal Mail enjoys uplift", The Herald, January 23).

Sadly the slow-down in letters is apparent in ways other than the revenue growth which you mention.

Yesterday, I received a time-critical magazine which was delivered by first-class post a whole week late. The previous copy was very late too and apparently the publishers have been told that first class no longer means "usually the next day" but means will in future take "one to three days".

Many street letter boxes have now been changed from a late afternoon collection to a single one at 9am uplifted by the postman on his delivery round. To many people this effectively means posting the night before, and letters thus losing a day in the post.

What is really amazing is that there is even a "postal advisor" who is preaching to Royal Mail and the regulator that when a letter is received is no longer important or time-critical. This is absolute nonsense and is bound to make people and businesses and UK plc less efficient. How have the mighty fallen.

RJ Ardern,

26A Southside Road, Inverness.