US Edition A graphic designer is testing the reliability of the Royal Mail to the extreme, by writing and sending cryptic addresses on envelopes for postmen to solve.
James Addison, who admits he is ‘fascinated’ by the postal service, started his 'Puzzles for Postmen' project five years ago and has been amazed by the response he has received.
He was inspired by an extremely efficient postman he encountered growing up in the village of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, and decided to set him a challenge.
Mr Addison has since used maps, word-searches and drawings of the destination for his letter to test sorting office brains and says the Royal Mail has delivered them all.
‘I’ve always had a fascination with the Royal Mail,’ he explained. ‘How a letter can physically travel from one end of the country to the other for just 57p is still brilliant.
‘They never fail to deliver and I have a growing admiration for their patience and perseverance.
‘Somehow I very much doubt that any other postal service in the world would embrace badly addressed envelopes in such an eccentric and light-hearted way.’
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We’re pleased to hear that our postmen and women have been able to decipher and deliver James Addison’s obscurely addressed mail.
“It demonstrates how our people, who are based at the heart of communities across the UK, use their local knowledge on a daily basis to ensure mail is delivered quickly and efficiently to 29 million addresses nationwide, six days a week.
“We would of course encourage our customers to always use a full address and postcode when addressing their mail to ensure it arrives at its intended destination.”
You can see a gallery of Mr Addison’s envelope riddles here.