Mail and the detectives

Royal Mail have been forced to hire an extra 3,000 workers to decipher bad handwriting on an estimated 400 million poorly labelled packages and envelopes. The temporary staff, known as 'address detectives', join 1400 permanent staff employed to decipher handwriting and try to match incorrect addresses with their intended recipients. According to Postwatch, five million Christmas cards are pulped every year because they are undeliverable and do not carry a return address.

An RM spokesman advised that "it is important that people properly address their Christmas cards and use the postcode." We think you'd be better off with a label printer!