A DARWEN financial adviser has blasted bungling post office workers after he received a letter destined for 9,000 miles away - in Darwin, Australia!

The mix-up saw Jim Fitzgerald, 62, of Peregrine Drive, get an envelope addressed to Peregrine Street in the affluent Wulagi district Down Under.

Red-faced Post Office chiefs apologised for the "human error" which saw staff ignore the airmail stickers on the letter, adressed to ex-Pat May Place.

Her friend, physiotherapist Nola Eaton, who lives with May, said she was not sure who sent the letter but the blunder proved postal cock-ups were an international problem.

May - a nurse - is one of 2,500 residents living in the plush Darwin suburb and is currently in hospital.

Mr Fitzgerald, who runs his own financial advice company, branded the situation "a blunder of ridiculous proportions" saying it was obvious his address and the one on the letter did not match.

He said: "It clearly has a blue air mail sticker on it with two 37p stamps and a Royal Mail Cheshire postmark. But not only that, the address reads what appears to be Peregrine Street, Wulagi, Darwin, NT 0812, Australia!

"I know now things can happen in any walk of life but the mind boggles. If it was badly addressed I could understand it but this is clearly marked and even has an air mail sticker and Australia on it.

"I didn't think much of the postal service anyway but this is a blunder of ridiculous proportions in what should be a modern and efficient postal delivery service."

And he added that he planned to return the errant letter to the Post Office immediately so it could get to its intended recipient forthwith.

"It could be very important. It is A4 sized and has the feel of a card inside, possibly a birthday card. If it is a birthday card with a bit of luck they will get it before next year's birthday."

May moved from the UK to Australia around a decade ago and is expected to return home from hospital after minor treatment in a few days.

Nola said: "If you had told me it had got lost in the Australian post I would not have been surprised at all - it must be a universal problem!

"Hopefully it will get here one day. May is in hospital at the moment but she should be home in a few days, it's nothing serious.

"Wulagi is a nice place to live. This house is three-bedroom, with a pool."

A Post Office spokeswoman said: "At the end of the day this appears to be a human error and we would like to apologise for it.

"Members of staff have been reminded to ensure that items are correctly sorted and delivered."