Community treasure hunt after Royal Mail delivers parcel to a random patch of grass

A man in Great Wakering was forced to go on a treasure hunt to find their parcel today, after it was delivered to a random area of grass.

Royal Mail sent a picture as ‘proof of delivery’, but the image showed the tracked parcel laying on some grass that the resident didn’t recognise.

Asking the local community for help to locate the parcel, the resident said: “Does anyone know where abouts this area is? I was expecting the parcel to be delivered to me in Alexandra Road but it’s been ‘delivered’ here!”

In a show of community spirit, people began suggesting possible locations that the parcel could be hiding at. Eventually the correct location was found – at a property which is a 20-minute walk away – and the parcel was given to its intended recipient.

Royal Mail said: “We fully appreciate the risk to the security of your mail if our people don’t deliver mail to the right address, and the obvious inconvenience it causes both the intended and the incorrect recipients.

“It’s important that our customers have confidence in us to always deliver their mail to a secure and high standard, so we apologise if you’ve experienced a problem.

“If you receive mail which isn’t in your name or your address, we’re sorry we’ve made this mistake. We’d like to get the item to the intended recipient as soon as possible and would greatly appreciate your help. Please post the item when you can, you won’t need to apply any postage, we’ll then process and deliver it to the correct address.”

If your parcel has been delivered to the wrong address and you don’t recognise the address, you should contact Royal Mail by calling their customer service number on 03457 740 740.

Their phone lines are open Monday to Friday 8am – 6:30pm, Saturday 8am – 3pm and Sunday 9am – 2pm.