A CONCERNED member of the public has contacted the Oxford Mail to say an Oxfordshire Royal Mail office was closed today and that a deep clean was underway.

The source, who did not wish to be named, said they understood that the east Oxford delivery office in Littlemore was shut as it was being deep cleaned.

The source also added that there had been no post in Headington since Thursday.

When contacted by the Oxford Mail via telephone and email, the Royal Mail was unable to provide a response upon publication.

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The claims come after postal workers in Didcot went on strike last week after their depot was not cleaned when a member of staff became ill with coronavirus.

They refused to work, as they believed it was unsafe, following guidance given to them by the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

The member of staff who tested positive had their delivery van deep cleaned after they left on sick leave.

But the remaining postal workers were unhappy that the rest of the building had not been thoroughly cleaned in the same way.

CWU representative Steve Gill said at the time: “A member of staff has been tested for Covid-19.

“The van he used needed cleaning which was done by a cleaning company called Clean Safe.

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“They came in and did that, but our building was cleaned by a man with a rag and a spray bottle.

“We are not withdrawing our labour, but people have stayed outside of the building now.

“We are not going in that building because we don’t deem it safe.”

Since the walk out in Didcot, one source told this newspaper that Royal Mail hadn’t recovered and that residents in the town haven’t received mail in two weeks.

Mail is also badly delayed in Oxford.

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Postmen in the city recently described their every day conditions as similar to ‘Christmas pressures’ with many people ordering online items, delivered to their homes.

One Oxford postman used to deliver to about 300 houses a day, taking no more than four hours.

He said he now delivers to roughly 500 homes, taking up to six hours.

The way the workers operate has changed, as due to social distancing measures, pairs of deliverers cannot share a van, thus increasing the workload on the service.

As key workers, Royal Mail deliverers have continued to work despite the lockdown.