PostNL wants to switch to an “every other day” delivery service because there is too little post and too few delivery workers to run a five-day operation.

Maurice Unck, head of PostNL’s postal arm, told news website NU.nl that the limit of “what you can do to ensure a reliable, affordable and achievable delivery service” has now been reached.

People will be able to count on deliveries on alternate days, he said. The PostNL website will also detail which postcode will get deliveries on which day, so people will know when a card will drop through the letterbox.

Deliveries were reduced from six to five days a week some 10 years ago and any new change will require the green light from parliament.