A senior has called for more efficient mail delivery on the island after her letters made it to friends overseas before others posted on the same date reached her neighbours.

The Southampton woman, who asked not to be named, said: “I cannot understand how local mail wasn’t delivered before it was delivered to England.

“I’m sorry, but that is ridiculous. Something has to be done over this mail system.”

The Ministry of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, which oversees the postal system, last week offered to investigate the matter.

The woman, 77, said that she sent about 20 invitations on March 17 for a party at the end of the month.

Several of them, she explained, went to Australia, the US and Britain, while the rest were sent to different locations across Bermuda.

The woman said that she started receiving calls on March 21 from her overseas friends confirming their invitations had arrived.

However, when she contacted her Bermudian friends, she said that only one person — in Devonshire — had received the note.

The woman said: “I live about half a mile from the Southampton Post Office and my neighbours didn’t get theirs until way after the people in England had received theirs.”

The woman added that she invited five of her neighbours who were only “a stone’s throw away”.

She said it was not until this month that all of the recipients had received their mail.

The woman noted that alternative methods of communication, such as e-mail, were options she could have used.

However, she said that because of the sentimental nature of the event, she wanted to use physical copies that people could save as keepsakes.

The woman added that she had dealt with similar problems in the past and had heard similar stories from others.

In one instance, she said that a friend had received mail in March that had been sent from Britain the previous December.

The woman added: “I cannot believe that my family’s telling me they’ve received their invitations in England and none of the neighbours have got them here.”

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office ministry said that the manager responsible for sub-locations and the postmistress in Southampton had not confirmed any mail delays.

He added: “We would be happy to investigate any specific concerns further.

“To do so, we would need additional details, such as the recipient's postcode or location.

“This information would allow us to trace delivery to the specific mail route and post person and determine any factors that may have contributed to a delay.

“If customers experience any issues with mail delivery, we encourage them to report concerns directly to Keith Wainwright, manager, sub-post office operations, via e-mail at kgwainwright@gov.bm or call 297-7893.”