A thank you card has arrived in Hampshire eight years after it was posted in Epsom.

Jenny Buck, 58, from West Ewell, posted the card in August, 2003, only for her cousin to receive the battered envelope eight years later at her home in Farnborough.

She said: "I had a party in August in 2003 and sent thank you cards out to those who got me presents and I thought nothing more of it.

"Then this week she emailed me to say thank you for my card and the photo.

"My initial reaction was that she obviously thought I didn’t say thank you. I’d love to know where it was sitting all this time."

The news comes weeks after a postman claimed delivery at the Royal Mail sorting office in Epsom had been reduced to every other day.

This was vehemently denied by Royal Mail, however more residents have since complained about erratic delivery of mail.

One resident in West Ewell said: “Last month three birthday cards failed to be delivered. One of these was posted at the same time and from the same post box as another card which was delivered.

“In addition a letter sent recorded 1st class mail failed to even make it out of the Epsom Sorting Office system and had to be resent.”

Problems had been blamed on a temporary lack of staff with postmen stretched to breaking point covering a larger patch with even more mail.

One Epsom postman said: “All the post men are working their hours and doing their job and are not taking any shortcuts. It’s not our fault.

“More and more work is being put on us and less time to do it but we are doing our best.”

Last week new management were brought into Epsom sorting office in the run up to Christmas.

Since their introduction, additional staff have been hired and despite concerns over delivery, all five letters posted by the Epsom Guardian this week arrived on time at an address in Epsom.

Royal Mail spokesperson Valerie Antoine said: "We are delivering all mail available for delivery to our customers in Epsom every day and all deliveries are being completed that same day."