I WONDER why the post office always urges us, the public, to use postcodes, as the franking machines are geared to do, when they are so often ignored?

St Olave's Church hall, in Marygate Lane, regularly received letters clearly addressed to Marygate Playgroup, Clifton Methodist Church, Clifton, York Y030 6AL.

Either the sorter/deliverer does not read beyond the first line, or does not know the difference between Clifton Methodist Church and St Olave's Anglican Church, or perhaps he/she simply does not care?

The postcodes are certainly very different.

We have recently had the (notional) second post stopped in order to "improve efficiency", so there really should be time to get the sorting right! I am sure that this is not the only case of mis-delivery.

These mis-delivered letters are put back into the postbox, with an arrow indicating the correct place, and I can only hope that the post office does not add insult to injury by trying to collect excess postage.

Dr V Silberberg,

North Parade,

Bootham,

York.

Updated: 11:47 Thursday, April 08, 2004