A baffled father has received a letter more than four months after it was posted.

Andrew Redmond, 73, of The Avenue, Great Clacton, picked up his morning mail yesterday to discover a long-forgotten letter from his son in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Mr Redmond's son, also called Andrew, sent the letter with an enclosed cheque with a first-class stamp on April 5 but had to cancel the cheque when it failed to arrive at its destination.

Late letter - Andrew Redmond, 73, who received a letter from his son four months after it was posted in Leigh-on-Sea. Picture: STEVE BRADING

Mr Redmond said: "It just makes you wonder where the letter has been for the last four months. I could have walked from here to Leigh on Sea in a day."

All details on the envelope were correct but because Mr Redmond's son forgot to include the postcode the letter may have taken a detour to Belfast on its 55-mile journey from Leigh-on-Sea.

A spokesperson from Royal Mail said: "Mail that has been incorrectly addressed sometimes goes to our sorting office in Belfast then it is directed to the correct address after investigation."

Published Wednesday August 21, 2002

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