A HOTEL accidentally posted 800 promotional mailshots to East Lancashire residents without a stamp.

The blunder meant people sent the marketing material by the Oaks Hotel were told to go to the nearest Royal Mail sorting office to pay the postage.

And they did not discover what the letter was until they had paid the £1.36.

Bosses of the Reedley hotel have apologised for the ‘genuine mistake’.

They contacted the Post Office after realising the error and said only 50 of the mailshots were actually posted.

Brierfield resident David Blaxhall travelled to Nelson sorting office after receiving a note through the door saying an item of post had been underpaid.

He said: “When I got to the sorting office the person that worked there told me what he thought it was and that it was up to me if I paid it or not.

“Other people had been before me and had paid the money and opened it there so they were passing the message on.

“I was going through Nelson so it wasn’t a problem for me to go to the sorting office, but it could have inconvenienced people from further afield.

“I can’t imagine it was done on purpose. I am sure it was just a genuine and unfortunate mistake.”

A spokesman for The Oaks Hotel said they would refund anyone who was out of pocket.

He said: “We had sent out 800 letters which had gone out without a stamp on by a mistake.

“We contacted Royal Mail and managed to prevent the majority of them going out.

"Only around 50 were delivered in the end.

“We apologise to anybody who received one and had to pay to collect it.”