ROYAL Mail today sent an early festive reminder to customers in Cheshire to help out their local postie by remembering to use postcodes and post cards and parcels by the last posting dates for Christmas.

The recommended last posting dates this year are:

Friday, December 4 for Australia and New Zealand, South and Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia and the Far East (except Japan).

Thursday, December 10 for Eastern Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan.

Friday, December 11 for airmail items to Western Europe.

Friday, December 18 for Second Class mail.

Monday, December 21 for First Class mail.

Wednesday, December 23 for Special Delivery items.

Customers should also ensure they use the correct postcode to help make sure their Christmas cards and gifts are delivered without any problems.

Each Christmas Royal Mail delivers over two billion cards, parcels and letters in the UK.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Christmas is the busiest and best time of year for Royal Mail and all our people are determined to deliver an absolutely first class service to our customers in Cheshire.

“Our Christmas operation is massive and it really helps us if people post their cards and parcels as early as possible and always remember to use the postcode.

“Our customers can then rely on Royal Mail to do the rest and to help make their Christmas special.”