SCRIPT: The Unhappy Postmen [September 11, 2018]

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Being a postman is a tough job

John Millen |
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Pat: These days most of us use e-mail, but some people still prefer to send and receive post. Sending a letter is not as quick or convenient as e-mail. Sometimes it is called “snail mail” because it can be very slow.You can’t guarantee when it will arrive at its destination.

Daisy: Sometimes, the letter can go missing on its long journey and never arrive at all. But if you’ve sent a letter or card to Turin in Italy in the past three years, and it was never delivered, at least we know why.

Pat: A postman in the north Italian city is currently facing criminal charges after police found four hundred kilograms of undelivered mail piled up in his flat.That is a whole lot of cards, letters and parcels.

DaisyPolice discovered the hoard of undelivered mail after they had stopped the postman in his car during a routine road check. As they were searching the vehicle, police officers found seventy letters lying on the back seat. They became suspicious and went to the postman’s home to investigate further.

Pat: Here they found forty boxes of undelivered mail that included bills, bank statements and private letters. The postman was taken to the police station for questioning where he told officers he had not delivered the mail because he was angry at the low salary the postal service paid him.

DaisyThis was not the first time that a postman in Italy has hidden away mail that it was his job to deliver. Last year, a fifty-six year old postman in another Italian city was arrested for stealing mail. 

Pat: Police found five hundred kilos of undelivered post dating back to 2010 hidden in the man’s garage. The hoard included phone directories, bills and election leaflets. Police said that this was the biggest haul of missing mail ever found in Italy.

Daisy: The postal service in Italy has a reputation for being unreliable, and these two cases of missing mail has not done the service any favours. In both cases, postal bosses promised to deliver the mail even though delivery will be many years late. Better late than never!

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