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Royal Mail bosses have been forced to apologise for the delayed delivery of a letter after it was eaten by snails inside a postbox.
Enough of the item was left to get the envelope to the addressee, but it had been badly damaged by the molluscs which have a voracious appetite for the sticky stuff on envelopes and stamps.
The customer was told: "Despite regular cleaning and placing pellets in the boxes, we find that snails and slugs still occasionally manage to creep into the apertures, fall down in the box and start eating the glue/adhesive on the stamps and envelopes."
On the trail: Royal Mail customer services' apology on Monday
In a letter dated Monday, customer services at the Exeter Mail Centre in Devon added: "I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused by this unusual 'tampering' and while I am able to forward on the letter, albeit in a damaged condition, I regret the understandable annoyance caused."
The name of the recipient is not known, but a photograph of the letter was posted on Facebook by user Kirton Games.
It's not the first time the slippery creatures have played havoc with Devon's deliveries. In 2009 The Telegraph reported that a resident in Torbay had her prize newspaper crossword entry devoured.
After that incident a Royal Mail spokesman said: ''Occasionally wall-mounted postboxes do provide good homes for snails. When we identify the problem, we install brushes in the aperture which deter them.
''They are particularly keen on stamps and air mail letters. Something in the dye attracts their taste buds.''