Mum fuming after £65 Christmas delivery destroyed as postman left it in garden bin

Horrified Kiri Monk found a card from the Royal Mail postman saying the delivery had been left in a ‘safe place’ outside her house which turned out to be a garden waste bin

A mum was left fuming as her Christmas gift was destroyed after the postman left it in a garden waste bin – as a ‘safe place’ – on collection day.

Kiri Monk, 39, was horrified to realise that a craft advent calendar kit she ordered for the festive season had been put in a near-full brown bin that was later composted.

She found a card from the Royal Mail postman saying the delivery – worth £65 – was in a ‘safe place’ outside her house – written as ‘parcel in brown bin’.

Kiri called the council to track down the bin but had no luck – meaning her calendar kit, which was limited edition, has now been lost forever.

Kiri said: “I couldn’t believe it and was fuming.

“At about 11.30am a card from the Royal Mail postal worker was put through the door to say the parcel was in a safe place in the bin.

“It was then that I realised the bin had been emptied.

“I thought they wouldn’t have done it at first, the bin was three-quarters full.”

Kiri, from Canvey Island, Essex, added: “It is disappointing and I worry about the next one and whether I will get it or whether the same thing will happen.

“They should have thought about it and it was expensive, about £65, which is quite a lot for an advent calendar.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson apologised to Kiri and said the company will contact her directly to discuss the matter.

They added: “Our postmen and women across the UK are consistently reminded of the appropriate action to take if a customer is unavailable to accept a delivery.

“The options available include delivery to a neighbour, a nominated neighbour or to an agreed safe place.

“If these options are not available then the item should be returned to the local delivery office for collection.”