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There are tales of poltergeists, the paranormal and plain unusual.
And falling firmly into the latter category is the ‘glue-sniffing snails of Gower’.
The peculiar story of the shelled gastropods features in the latest series of Kiri’s TV Flashback, due to broadcast on BBC One Wales on Friday, January 7.
READ MORE:Life-long burglar breaks into 18th house while victims are asleep and steals their car before trashing it
The show, now hosted by comedian Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, delves into BBC Wales’ archives for a comedic look at the funniest and quirkiest television moments from the last 50 years.
The series kicks off with with Kiri promising to investigate some of the mysteries of Wales filmed by the BBC over the past fifty years, and features the remarkable story of the ‘poltergeist of Rhondda Street’ in Swansea ‘s Mount Pleasant, in which a housewife claimed in 1965 her home had been ransacked by a ghost.
But it also features a perhaps less well-known story from 1992, when it was claimed the Gower village of Ilston had been targeted by ‘glue sniffing snails’.
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With footage of residents speaking of their shock – “I can’t believe it would happen in this village, it was awful, shocking” – reporters speak with members of the Royal Mail about the problem of mail going missing.
“Communications were breaking down, forcing an investigation by the Royal Mail” a voiceover deadpans.
“It was they who discovered the creeping culprits – glue-sniffing snails”.
The insects were found to have been devouring letters deposited in the village post box, having been attracted by the envelopes’ adhesives.
But having identified the problem, the Royal Mail addresses the issue, enabling the residents’ of Ilston ‘to rest happily in their beds’.
Presenter Kiri Pritchard-Mclean said: “Like the rest of the audience I love the programme and its unique celebration of the weirdest and most wonderful sides of Wales”.
The show is scheduled for 7.30pm.
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