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16
Jan
Courier apologises after delivery driver turns Harrogate villages into ‘parcel graveyard’
Evri has apologised after several villages between Leeds and Harrogate were turned into a “parcel graveyard”.
Residents in the Weeton, Huby and North Rigton areas were surprised to see parcels scattered in random places across the villages on Tuesday (January 14).
Mandy Wilson, a Huby resident, said an Evri delivery driver had left parcels – some addressed as far afield as Ilkley and Harewood – strewn around Huby, including in bushes.
She said:
Our village and surrounding areas, including Huby, Weeton and North Rigton, became a veritable parcel graveyard. An Evri driver decided that 'delivery' meant 'dumping' – they left parcels strewn all over the place.
This parcel was also found out of place.
One Huby resident said two parcels had been "randomly dumped" on her driveway, including one addressed to a property in Harewood - more than five miles from the village.
Another resident told the Stray Ferret the village WhatsApp chat was flooded with messages on Tuesday evening, as people discovered the out-of-place parcels.
Ms Wilson said residents became “amateur detectives” using social media, and worked together to reunite lost parcels with their rightful owners.
But residents sang the praises of their regular Evri courier, named Karen, who they described as a legend in the area.
“She’s been delivering to us for over a decade and always goes the extra mile”, Ms Wilson said.
For this reason, residents believed the culprit must have been a different driver. Ms Wilson added:
We’re urging Evri to investigate this properly and make sure this kind of service never happens again.
The Stray Ferret asked Evri why the driver had left parcels scattered around, including ones meant for West Yorkshire addresses, in North Yorkshire villages.
A spokesperson apologised to those impacted by the issue and assured residents the company will work to support customers directly.
They added:
We are pleased to hear the feedback about the regular courier in this area and after temporary cover there, we would like to reassure residents that they are now back delivering in their area.
The actions taken by this temporary courier don't reflect our usual high standards with 99% of our parcels being delivered on time, and steps will be taken to address this and ensure a high standard of service in the area going forwards.
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