Business leaders have blasted the Royal Mail with complaints about its service to companies in Oxfordshire, writes Sarah Parker.

Royal Mail managers are being asked to investigate standards for business users following complaints about the timing and frequency of collections and deliveries.

Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman John Naish, who is a partner with chartered building surveyors Kemp and Naish, based at Milton Park, said: "We only get one delivery per day, which is less than ideal. What's worse is that the delivery we do get is too late every day and gets later as the week goes on.

"As far as the quality of the service goes it is harder to tell, but we do know from clients and other people we mail to regularly, that our first class post often fails to arrive the next day." Andy Corrigan, the policy manager of the Thames Valley Chamber, which covers Oxfordshire, said it was clear that many of its members were unhappy with their postal service.

He said: "They're telling us that deliveries come too late in the day and at unpredictable times, which makes planning the working day difficult. A number are saying there are too few deliveries and collections being made each day to business premises.

A spokesman for the Royal Mail said: "We share the concerns of the Chamber and we are currently in the middle of a national programme of reviewing our resources and putting in place changes necessary to meet our standard of first deliveries to be completed by 9.30am.

"First class mail is targeted to arrive the next day, but it is not a guaranteed service. This is a misconception. Overall nine out of ten items arrive the next day."