Good Morning Britain's Charlotte Hawkins interrupted the live show as she delivered some breaking news to viewers, which had unfolded in the last hour.
During Friday's (December 13) instalment of the ITV hit breakfast show, Kate Garraway and co-star Adil Ray were back on our screens as they presented the day's top stories.
However, it was Charlotte Hawkins segment that caught everyone's attention as she revealed that Royal Mail have been hit with a hefty fine after failing to meet its targets.
Speaking to viewers watching at home, the TV presenter announced: "Now some breaking news, in the last hour the regulator Ofcom has fined Royal Mail £10.5M for failing to meet its delivery targets in 2023/24. 74.7% of first class mail and 92.7% of second class mail was delivered on on time but that's well short of its target of 93% and 98.5%."
She added: "The company blames its poor performance on its challenging financial precision and delays to a deal that followed the previous year's strict action. Ofcom said it did not consider either of these to be justifiable reasons for Royal Mail's failure."
The fine is almost double the penalty the company was hit with last year for the same reason. The watchdog gave Royal Mail a £5.6 million penalty in November 2023, reports the Mirror.
Ofcom said Royal Mail's poor service was "now eroding public trust in one of the UK's oldest institutions". Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom's director of enforcement, has criticised Royal Mail for its service, stating: "With millions of letters arriving late, far too many people aren't getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp."
He added that "Royal Mail's poor service is now eroding public trust in one of the UK's oldest institutions."
He also revealed: "This is the second time we've fined the company since the pandemic. Royal Mail has provided an improvement plan, and we're seeing some signs of progress, but it must go further and faster to deliver the service that people expect."
A spokesperson for Royal Mail responded by saying that delivering a high-quality service is "extremely important to us", according to GB News. They also confirmed that the company is making the necessary changes to meet its targets.
