POSTMEN and women are delivering a first class service in parts of the North-East and North Yorkshire.

Sunderland emerged top in a survey of efficiency of first class mail deliveries by postcode area across the country.

People with SR postcodes received 95.3 per cent of first class deliveries the following day, putting Sunderland just ahead of Dumfries, in Scotland, on 95.2, per cent, and joint third-placed Lincoln and Sheffield, both with 94.5 per cent.

York, or households with YO postcodes, came 13th, with a 93.7 per cent figure for next day deliveries of first class mail. Large areas of County Durham, in the DH postcode area, were joint 14th, with 93.6 per cent.

Other areas in the region that also met their performance targets for deliveries in the year to the end of March, were Darlington, DL, with 93.1 per cent, and Teesside, TS, on 92.6 per cent.

Neither the North-East nor North Yorkshire figured in the list of the worst 20 delivery areas in the survey, which saw London West and the City of London share bottom spot, with 90.4 per cent.

But Newcastle, NE, and Harrogate, HG, were among 13 postcode areas in the North that failed to meet their delivery targets.

Judith Donovan, Postwatch chairman for Northern England, said: "Sunderland and other areas which feature in the top 20 performing postcodes should be congratulated.

"However, 13 of the 30 postcode areas in Northern England are still failing. We'll be looking for a marked improvement in these areas."

Royal Mail Sunderland area manager Bob Storey praised the hard work and dedication of the staff, who he said consistently set the standard for the rest of the country.