Royal Mail to examine up to 300 letters found on side of road

Up to 300 letters were found discarded on the side of the A47

Bundles containing up to 300 letters have been found dumped on the side of the A47.

Members of the South Leicestershire Litter Wombles discovered the discarded mail in a hedge during a pick near Barwell on Tuesday.

Bobbie Baker said the bundles were the "weirdest" items she has found.

Royal Mail officials said it would examine the contents of the bag and investigate how the letters ended up on the side of the road.

'Important-looking'

Ms Baker said finding the letters was "quite upsetting".

"There were letters there from the DVLA and the NHS - all sorts of important-looking stuff that people have obviously been waiting for," she said.

"I felt really sorry for them because if it's an NHS letter and you're waiting for an appointment at the moment, with the waiting times - it's shocking.

"It's really sad because it's also actually littering.

"It was quite upsetting actually."

The Leicestershire Wombles group, which has been nominated for two BBC Pride of Leicester awards, carries out litter picks across the south of the county.

Ms Baker added: "It's important to clear the litter for the environment."

She said the bag of letters had been dropped off at the Hinkley Royal Mail distribution centre.

A spokesperson for the Royal Mail said: "The security of customers' mail is a high priority for Royal Mail.

"We are investigating the contents of this bag, and cannot comment further until this investigation has concluded."