CONFUSION between two Forest sorting offices has resulted in an important document posted first-class arriving two weeks late.

Cherry Lewis, of Joys Green, near Lydbrook, couldn't understand why the letter she sent to the Department for Work and Pensions from a new postbox on Orchard Road on July 1 only arrived to its destination last Monday.

The post box replaced the former box which was part of the post office that was sold last February.

She said: "When my first letter, posted first-class, did not arrive after six days I became convinced that the mail was not being collected, so I posted another letter to myself which also did not arrive. I expressed my concerns to my postman that the postbox was not being emptied to which they said they didn't know anything about a new box and would report the matter to the sorting office.

"I was reassured by Cinderford sorting office that it is being emptied but when I managed to speak to somebody in the escalation team at Royal Mail customer services they confirmed the box isn't being emptied.

"She explained a new system had been implemented where Cinderford sorting office collects the post in the morning and Lydney sorting office does it in the afternoon. Somehow this box had fallen between the two and neither office was collecting from it.

"When the letter I posted two weeks ago was finally delivered last Monday, there was nothing on it to say why the delay happened. When I rang to complain to Royal Mail they offered me a book of six stamps by way of compensation for the two-week delay."

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We apologise to customers in Joy's Green that due to local operational changes, collections from the newly-installed postbox in the village were not carried out on a daily basis and at the stated times displayed on the postbox. The situation has now been rectified as a matter of urgency and collections are now being carried out daily.

"Every letter is important to us and we are carrying out a full investigation into the matter."