A Blackpool resident is travelling to Leeds to investigate the disappearance of a childhood teddy bear sent for restoration, after the parcel was misdirected to Leeds Mail Centre on 17 September.
Chris Madden has owned the panda teddy bear since 1958. After decades of wear, including loss of fur and original eyes, he arranged for professional restoration and posted the item on 17 September. The parcel never reached the restorer.
Madden says the local postmaster in Blackpool entered an incorrect postcode when processing the parcel. This caused it to be routed to Leeds Mail Centre, where it subsequently disappeared.
Madden has made multiple calls to Royal Mail seeking information but says he has received no explanation or update on the parcel's whereabouts.
Apparently Royal Mail and Parcel Force will only deliver to the (invalid) bar code which is fixed to the parcel and will not take note of the printed address! An invalid bar code results in an invalid address and the parcel becomes 'lost' in many cases. Why some person within the sorting depot cannot manually read and forward such a parcel to the intended recipient is beyond imagination.
Madden plans to visit Leeds Mail Centre on Wednesday 30 September to seek answers about the parcel's location. He has stated that compensation is not his concern, describing the loss as causing significant distress.
Search reaches Leeds mailing centre
The family has since travelled to the Royal Mail centre in Leeds while trying to trace the missing parcel. They were told that members of the public could not enter the mailing centre and that staff would not be able to locate an individual parcel even if it was at the site.
The certificate of posting shows the destination postcode as BX5 9UB rather than the intended BN postcode. The family said staff advised that the recorded code was associated with a tax-office address.
They have been told to allow up to six weeks for the parcel to be processed or returned. Staff also explained that unidentified lost parcels may be sent to a specialist centre in Belfast, where attempts are made to establish the sender.
The teddy bear remains missing. The family is continuing to appeal for information while the postal enquiries run their course.
