A couple have hit out at Royal Mail after going four weeks without any post including birthday cards and tax letters.

Damien McArdle, 44, is yet to receive a single card for his birthday on October 13 and said the 'ridiculous' delays are now affecting his work.

The entrepreneur, from Maidstone, Kent, is waiting from a letter from HMRC to give him a code to begin invoicing clients after launching a new company.

The Royal Mail insist the couple are awaiting no letters - but Damien says he is yet to receive items he knows were send to him weeks ago.

Mr McArdle, who now runs a business giving advice on fire risks and health and safety, said: "We've had literally no post for four weeks."

"It was my birthday on October 13 and I didn't get a single card even though I know my family sent them."

"It's ridiculous that we would have no post in all that time."

"We would routinely have had at least one or two deliveries a week - bank statements, adverts, that type of thing."

"Not having the HMRC letter is having a massive impact both on our business and on us personally - we can't pay ourselves until we get it."

"If Royal Mail really has no post for us, they must have delivered it to the wrong address, which is perhaps even worse."

Mr McArdle's father Jude had a routine cancer-screening appointment letter go missing back in 2018.

By the time Mr McArdle senior attended his next appointment, his cancer was found to have returned and spread to the point where the NHS was unable to save him.

Damien McArdle added: "Twice they've assured us that we will get our mail within three days, and twice that deadline has passed without a delivery."

"I'm sure we can't be the only ones. This could have serious consequences for people."

"Even more concerning is that there are still many people who rely on the post for their medical appointments."

Mr McArdle's partner, Jennifer Tring, said she had rung Royal Mail four times and had asked whether she could go and pick their mail up - but they said it wasn't possible.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We have reviewed the customer's address and can confirm there is currently no mail to be delivered."

"We would reassure customers that we are making deliveries throughout Maidstone daily."

"However, there are, at times, delays due to a high number of vacancies at the delivery office."

"We have plans in place to minimise the impact with posties prioritising delayed deliveries the following day."