Islanders suffer postal blunder

Ascension Island belongs to the British St Helena territory

The Royal Mail accidentally sent Christmas post bound for a South Atlantic British territory to Paraguay and the Caribbean, it has emerged.

Thousands of pounds worth of presents meant for Ascension Island were sent to Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.

To make matters worse, mail due for Ascension's major settlement, Georgetown, arrived thousands of miles away in Georgetown, Guyana.

Royal Mail has apologised and says islanders will still receive the mail.

'Early start'

But its arrival could be delayed further because of the small number of flights between Ascension Island, Paraguay and Guyana.

We have taken steps to rectify this to ensure it will not happen in the future Royal Mail

"We apologise that mail to customers in Ascension did not arrive in time for Christmas," the Royal Mail said in a statement.

"We have taken steps to rectify this to ensure it will not happen in the future."

Islander Paul Knowles, 29, whose family hail from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, ordered £1,000-worth of presents from the internet in September in an effort to make sure recipients received their gifts in time for Christmas.

He aimed to take delivery of them on Ascension Island so he could wrap them and then send them back to the UK.

His local post office contacted the Royal Mail when islanders started to wonder where their post had got to.

'Expecting presents'

Speaking from the village of Two Boats on Ascension, he said: "First the Royal Mail said it was held up and then they said there was a good chance it was actually sent to Paraguay or Guyana."

He said he thought it "unlikely" the mail would ever turn up, but added: "It would be nice if it did."

It has not ruined Christmas but a great deal of people do not have correspondence from people in the UK Islander Paul Knowles

"Just about everyone is expecting Christmas presents they were getting forfriends and family.

"It has not ruined Christmas but a great deal of people do not have correspondence from people in the UK.

"A company like the Royal Mail should know about Ascension."

He said that, although the Royal Mail had sent an apology to the post office on Ascension, he had received no assurances the same problem could not happen again.

Ascension Island, which lies just south of the equator in the South Atlantic, is part of the British Overseas Territory of St Helena, which also includes the islands of St Helena and Tristan de Cunha.