A GRANDMOTHER won tickets to see a hit show but missed it because the winning letter was delivered a week after it was sent by first class post.

Pat Whittaker of Worsthorne was delighted when she won the tickets to see Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat in a Lancashire Evening Telegraph competition.

But this soon turned to anger when she realised they were three days out of date.

The tickets for the Opera House, Manchester, were for a performance on April 26, but they didn't arrive until April 29. They had been sent first class on April 23.

It is thought Pat's tickets fell foul of Burnley's postal crisis, which has seen postmen struggling to cope with new workloads after the second post was scrapped last month.

Pat who is married to Ronald and has three children and six grandchildren, said she is disappointed that it took seven days for the first class letter to reach her. As a member of the 50-Something Theatre Company, which meets in Padiham, Pat entered the competition for her particular love of the shows.

She said: "Tickets for Joseph would have been right up my street because I love shows and the theatre.

"The post is really bad at the moment. I received two Easter cards this week that had taken two weeks to get through, despite having been sent first class.

"I had some things to send to my bank and I dropped them in to the branch myself because I was so worried that they would not get through in time.

"It's ridiculous to think it has taken so long for a small letter to be delivered."

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "We would always advise customers who have come across things like this to contact our customer services department who will investigate and look at compensating anybody in these circumstances."

The Opera House in Manchester has now agreed to provide Pat with tickets for a performance at a later date.