Families are facing a Christmas of disappointment, with millions of gifts bought via the internet not arriving in time, warn experts. A backlog of more than four million parcels is sitting in the warehouses of private courier firms across the country because the snow and ice has made deliveries impossible. The predicted second Big Freeze this week is likely to make the situation even worse for couriers, who are struggling with their most difficult situation in 30 years.
Backlog: Four million items are sitting in warehouses of firms across the country - with couriers unable to deliver them to certain areas because of the bad weather
Many online retailers, such as the big supermarkets, have already cancelled deliveries to the areas worst hit by the snow.
As of 1.30pm yesterday, the parcel backlog with private courier firms stood at some four million items.
At the same time, another four million new parcels are going into the delivery system every day, according to Global Freight Solutions, which works with all the major couriers.
