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Inverness, Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides are delivery hotspots during Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown, Royal Mail reveals


By Philip Murray

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Royal Mail employees sorting mail in Inverness (stock image). Picture: Gair Fraser. Image No. 042766.
Royal Mail employees sorting mail in Inverness (stock image). Picture: Gair Fraser. Image No. 042766.

HIGHLANDERS looking to continue shopping during the lockdown have made Inverness one of the Scotland's delivery hotspots in recent weeks.

Royal Mail said the city had seen the fifth most deliveries of any area in the country, based on the number of deliveries per individual address.

And the Highland capital was not alone in being a hotspots in the far north.

Lerwick in Shetland was not only the biggest hotspot in Scotland but even topped the UK as a whole – edging central London into second place.

Kirkwall in Orkney, and the Hebrides also made the UK top five, which was based on tracked/recorded deliveries.

Recent Royal Mail research revealed nearly half (45 per cent) of UK adults have been receiving more parcel deliveries since lockdown measures began.

More than a third of those quizzed (36 per cent) claiming receiving a parcel was the highlight of their day, and more than half (53 per cent) felt that receiving parcels had become more important since March 23, when the lockdown began.

David Gold, director of public affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said “The data shows that during such unprecedented times, parcel delivery is just as important for our rural customers as it is for our city customers. We understand the importance of the postal service in keeping the UK connected at this time. In doing so, we also take the health and safety of our colleagues, our customers and the local communities in which we operate very seriously.”

The top five Scotland hotspots are:

  • Lerwick
  • Kirkwall
  • The Hebrides
  • Dumfries and Galloway
  • Inverness

Top 10 UK hotspots are:

  • Lerwick
  • Central London
  • Kirkwall
  • The Hebrides
  • North West London
  • Carlisle
  • Dumfries and Galloway
  • Redhill
  • Uxbridge
  • St Albans

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