JEAN South wants to fire off a letter that won't go away.

For the Great Harwood shopkeeper has had the same letter, a phone bill addressed to a woman in Scotland, posted to her SEVEN times in the just TEN days.

So far fed-up Jean has put the boomerang bill back in the post box four times, handed it to her postman and even given it to the manager of the local sorting office. But it keeps on coming back.

The letter is addressed to Shelley Kirk, of 32 Queen Street, Bannockburn, Stirling, Scotland - 208 miles from Jean's shop, Jean's Military Memories, address 32 Queen Street, Great Harwood, Blackburn.

Today the Royal Mail apologised to Jean and said they were to send someone personally to collect the letter and ensure it was sent to its rightful recipient.

They are also due to hold an inquiry into why the mishap has happened.

Jean said: "I think if I had the time I would take it up there myself. It's unbelievable.

"It got to the point where we were getting annoyed, now we are in hysterics."

Jean, 48, who lives in Broadfield Road. Accrington, and has run the shop for nine years, said the saga started on July 22 when the letter arrived and she posted it back. When it reappeared on two more occasions in the following days, she posted it again.

On the fourth occasion, Jean's exasperated husband, Len, even wrote "Not Blackburn" on the top of it and reposted it.

But it returned a fifth time when Jean handed it to the postman with the address in large letters next to it.

The sixth time she handed it to the post office manager and thought she had finally seen the last of it.

She said: "He assured me it wouldn't come back. When it didn't come the following day I thought it had gone for good."

But once again it landed on her door mat.

Jean said: "I really don't know what to do with it.

"I feel sorry for Shelley Kirk, who the letter should have gone to. If it is a phone bill she's going to be cut off."

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "This is obviously unacceptable and we apologise to Mrs South for the inconvenience she's been caused.

"We will collect the letter from her as soon as possible and ensure it's correctly delivered without further delay.

"We will also look into why the mistake has happened."

Shelley Kirk was unavailable for comment.