http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ROKEN.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Caught on CCTV: Moment courier hurls Tower of London ceramic poppy 25ft over garden fence as disappointed buyers complain their flowers have arrived broken
888,246 poppies are being sent out to customers who paid £25 per flower
But several have complained after receiving parcels with petals broken off
One man claims he saw a Yodel delivery man throwing box 20ft over fence
Yodel staff not treating parcels with respect will face disciplinary action
This is the shocking moment a courier was caught hurling a Tower of London poppy 25ft over a garden fence, amid complaints that the ceramic blooms are arriving at customers' homes broken into pieces.
The 888,246 poppies, which formed part of the Blood Swept Seas and Lands of Reds display at the historic tower, are currently being sent to those who paid £25 to own one of the memorial flowers.
But disgruntled customers have been contacting the firm employed to deliver the flowers to complain that the flowers - which represent British and colonial soldiers who were killed in action during the First World War - have been arriving at the door broken.
Last 30 secs is the incident
Several parcels have been arriving without being marked as 'fragile' while one customer even saw a delivery man throwing his parcel over the garden fence.
Stuart Spinks told the Today programme that a CCTV camera on his property caught the driver, who he believes was a Yodel employee, throwing the parcel 20ft over the fence when he could not access the front door to his house.
He said: 'When I arrived home, I could not understand how it was at the door because the gates to our property are locked.
'We have CCTV, so I reviewed it and, about 20 minutes before I arrived home, the driver was there and he tried consistently to open the gate.
'Then you clearly see him throw the box towards the front door. He could have dropped it over the great but he actually threw it - the distance of about seven metres.'
Yodel, which has been employed by the Historic Royal Palaces to deliver the packages, has now been forced to apologise and has told MailOnline that any workers who are found not treating the parcels with respect will face disciplinary action.
Disgruntled customers have been contacting Yodel, the employed to deliver the ceramic poppies, to complain that they have been arriving broken
Georgina Thomson said she was 'gutted' that her poppy had arrived broken after paying £25 for the flower
Another user said they had used their first tweet to complain to Yodel about the 'careless' service from Yodel
It said it was 'horrified' by the CCTV footage and would be investigating the allegations.
Meanwhile, Clare Paver told MailOnline that her poppy arrived with a petal completely unattached, while another was loose.
She is now waiting to see whether her poppy will be replaced.
She said: 'The box was clean and undamaged, however I found the poppy inside was damaged.
'A petal was completely unattached, another was loose, there were chips of glaze within the bubblewrap.
'Both my partner and I think a bubblewrap bag isn't sufficient protection for the poppy during transit, even though it sat very snuggly inside the box.
'I have had an email from tower poppies acknowledging my complaint, saying they "have recorded this issue and will be in contact regarding a replacement".'
Several parcels have been arriving without being marked as 'fragile' while one customer even saw a delivery man throwing his parcel over a garden fence
The Historic Royal Palaces said it will be replacing the poppies or issuing refunds to customers
The delivery company Yodel was hired by the Historic Royal Palaces to deliver the poppies across the UK.
Each of the poppies has been bought in advance for £25, with a portion of all sales being donated to Armed Forces charities.
Thousands of people have dismantled the artwork at the rate of 70,000 poppies per day to ensure they could be sent out.
On its website, the Royal Palace said anyone who has a broken poppy will have their poppy replaced.
They will also be entitled to a refund, including outbound posting and packaging costs, if they do not want a replacement.
But there is some concern that there will not be any poppies left or that the replacements were not used in the original display.
Over the past few days, several customers have complained on Twitter about the state of their poppies when they arrived at their homes.
Georgina Thomson tweeted: 'Gutted that my poppy has arrived broken #TowerofLondonPoppies'
Another user tweeted Yodel saying: 'Wow my first tweet and I have to waste it on you. You've broken my ceramic poppy! Utterly careless. I can't get a replacement.'
While user Karalyn wrote: 'Really pleased my poppies arriving then very disappointed one was broken.'
Dick Stead, executive chairman of Yodel, told MailOnline: 'It's a great privilege to be delivering all 900,000 poppies and we have briefed our staff to act with special care.
'One poor delivery is one too many. If anyone is found to have not treated the parcels with the respect they require, they will face disciplinary action.
'We are also very sorry to hear that some poppies have arrived broken and packaging has not been labelled as "fragile".
'As Yodel is not involved in the picking and packing of the poppies, and they are provided to us pre-boxed, we're unable to comment on these specific issues.
'To date we have received a very small number of complaints, which we have rectified quickly and apologised for.
'We have had no complaints from our client who is arranging delivery via Yodel and we speak to them every day.
'We're horrified the YouTube footage has been linked to Yodel and are investigating it thoroughly. If it's proven to be our courier, immediate action will be taken.'
The poppies, which are being sent out in a commemorative box, are being delivered alongside metal rods and washers, so they can stand outside.
But people have been advised that the delicate blooms might not withstand a frost.
From parcels thrown over garden walls to items left at the wrong address, Yodel has become notorious for its poor service since its inception in 2010.
The firm was founded through a merger between DHL Domestic and the Home Delivery Network and is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, the billionaire brothers who own the Daily Telegraph.
It has more than 80 locations around the UK, including headquarters in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, and national sorting centres at Shaw, near Manchester, Hatfield and Wednesbury, in the West Midlands.
Over the years, traders who use Yodel for their deliveries have come under increasing pressure to find an alternative.
There is now even a dedicated website saynotoyodel.com, which encourages customers to send their horror stories and lists companies which it says work with Yodel.
One poor delivery is one too many. If anyone is found to have not treated the parcels with the respect they require, they will face disciplinary action
Dick Stead, executive chairman of Yodel
In 2012, John Lewis declined to renew its contract. Curry's and Mothercare have since followed suit.
This year, Yodel - which handles over 145 million parcels every year - was also named as the UK's worst parcels delivery firm for the second year running on website MoneySavingExpert.
The episode is the latest in a line of blows which have hit the ceramic poppies.
Last week, artist Paul Cummins revealed thieves had even attempted to break in to vans preparing to transport the poppies across the country.
He said: 'When they were taken out of the moat, people were breaking into the lorries to try to get them.
'I am not happy. 'It is disrespectful to the people who bought them and made them and to the people they represent.
'So many people want them but we are not making any more, because I thought it would be disrespectful to the people who died.'
Unscrupulous internet users also attempted to flog their ceramic flowers online before they had even been distributed, with online auctioneers eBay forced to remove listings for the poppies at double their original price.
The stunning scene was progressively created at the Tower of London over the summer. It attracted millions of visitors and was extended for a further two weeks after a campaign by the Mail.
Yodel asked that anyone who has a question or complaint to phone 0844 453 7443 with their tracking number, address and the name of the recipient.
MailOnline has contacted the Historic Royal Palaces for comment.