A TRADESMAN was shocked to receive a delivery of 3,000 identical congestion charge receipts from Transport for London (TfL).
Graeme Ellis, of High Firs, Swanley, paid for his £8 congestion charge online and requested a receipt for his payment.
Three days later a lorry arrived outside his house. A postman walked to the door carrying three crates of paper.
The boxes contained 3,000 identical receipts for his payment - each in its own addressed and franked envelope.
Mr Ellis, who is a 37-year-old blind-fitter, said: "I drive all around the country with my job and inevitably that sometimes takes me through London.
"I always pay for my congestion charge online and always ask for a receipt so that I don't lose track of things - as I have been fined for not paying it before.
"But I couldn't believe it when 3,000 of the things arrived. It's terrible. What a complete waste of money and time and paper. The Government are always telling us that we need to be greener and that we should be saving the world, and yet they do things like this."
Mr Ellis, who is married, with an eight-year-old son, Harrison, and daughter, Emily, aged five, said: "The kids think it's great. They are building stuff out of all the paper. They made a tower which is taller than me and I am over six feet tall.
"It has had its uses as well. We have been shredding the paper to use as bedding for the rabbits and the dog has had great fun rolling around in it and tearing it up."
The wasteful delivery on March 13 was not Mr Ellis's first. In late February he received 25 receipts for a congestion payment and a week later he received 500 for another one.
He added: "I phoned TfL after 3,000 were delivered and they did offer to come and collect them. But we've managed to find ways of using it. They blamed the waste of paper on a glitch with their computers."
Meanwhile a spokesman for TfL said: "This is clearly an unacceptable error. Our service provider, Capita, have identified the fault and put in additional controls to ensure it does not happen in the future."
Have you had any similarly bizarre deliveries? Add your comments below or click here to email
3:44pm Wednesday 26th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: The real Me, Here on 4:05pm Wed 26 Mar 08
"But we've managed to find ways of using it.."
Bog Roll?
XX
"But we've managed to find ways of using it.."
Bog Roll?
XX
Posted by: Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott, Bexley Village on 6:18pm Wed 26 Mar 08
Bearing in mind that [bold]Mr Ellis[/bold] lives in [bold]Swanley[/bold], I hope someone was riding shotgun on the back of the lorry and covered the postman as he made his delivery.
[bold]Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott[/bold]
Bearing in mind that
Mr Ellis lives in
Swanley, I hope someone was riding shotgun on the back of the lorry and covered the postman as he made his delivery.
Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott Posted by: bg, deptford on 6:31pm Wed 26 Mar 08
If he is a 'blind fitter' how can he read who they are addressed to?
If he is a 'blind fitter' how can he read who they are addressed to?
Posted by: Anon, swanley on 8:40pm Wed 26 Mar 08
I suggest that mr Piggott looks in his own back yard first. Bexley village [bold]WHAT A DUMP![/bold]
at least Swanley Mp's have not been robbing tax-payers.
I suggest that mr Piggott looks in his own back yard first. Bexley village
WHAT A DUMP!
at least Swanley Mp's have not been robbing tax-payers.
Posted by: Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott, The Study on 8:14am Thu 27 Mar 08
Anon, there aren't any taxpayers in Swanley, only benefit takers.
[bold]Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott[/bold]
Anon, there aren't any taxpayers in Swanley, only benefit takers.
Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott Posted by: Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott, The Armchair on 8:17am Thu 27 Mar 08
Anon, why don't you take some time out from the [bold]Jeremy Kyle Show[/bold] and read some of [bold]Your Lord's[/bold] highly amusing and informative blogs?
[bold]Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott[/bold]
Anon, why don't you take some time out from the
Jeremy Kyle Show and read some of
Your Lord's highly amusing and informative blogs?
Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott Posted by: abba mania, swanley on 1:00pm Thu 27 Mar 08
i'm a very good friend of Graeme and would like to point out that he is actually 42 years old and his son Harrison is 8 years old.[bold]bold[/bold]
i'm a very good friend of Graeme and would like to point out that he is actually 42 years old and his son Harrison is 8 years old.
Posted by: resident, bexley village on 2:51pm Thu 27 Mar 08
listen piggott, u hippocrite. the chap that said bexley is a dump, and taxpayer robbing us, good on him. u vile person, all you do is slag others off all the time. u shame us all, when you act like this, ur a real life coward, but you will be found, hopefully v soon by some nasty people i know from erith, dartford, swanley. u can reply as much as you like, but i know they will be there with you very very soon, cant wait.
listen piggott, u hippocrite. the chap that said bexley is a dump, and taxpayer robbing us, good on him. u vile person, all you do is slag others off all the time. u shame us all, when you act like this, ur a real life coward, but you will be found, hopefully v soon by some nasty people i know from erith, dartford, swanley. u can reply as much as you like, but i know they will be there with you very very soon, cant wait.
Posted by: erith hardman on 2:53pm Thu 27 Mar 08
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that
Posted by: Beauty, London on 3:38pm Thu 27 Mar 08
[quote][bold]erith hardman[/bold] wrote:
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that[/quote] What a bunch of silly rubbish you and bexley village resident really are. Being hard man!! your a joke!! Come and get me if you can!DOUBT IT THOUGH
erith hardman wrote:
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that
What a bunch of silly rubbish you and bexley village resident really are. Being hard man!! your a joke!! Come and get me if you can!DOUBT IT THOUGH
Posted by: Samantha, Borough of Bexley on 3:59pm Thu 27 Mar 08
"...some nasty people i know from erith, dartford, swanley..."
Dreadful isn't it, I cross the road whenever I see one. Bleuch.
"...some nasty people i know from erith, dartford, swanley..."
Dreadful isn't it, I cross the road whenever I see one. Bleuch.
Posted by: Rose Bush, Bexley on 4:05pm Thu 27 Mar 08
'resident, Bexley Village' complains about Piggott's pigeon-holing of residents of certain areas, then claims he knows people from these areas will argue using physical violence..
...ho, sorry I am unable to finish this comment, the irony has fractured one of my ribs..
<wheeze>
'resident, Bexley Village' complains about Piggott's pigeon-holing of residents of certain areas, then claims he knows people from these areas will argue using physical violence..
...ho, sorry I am unable to finish this comment, the irony has fractured one of my ribs..
<wheeze>
Posted by: Locked and Loaded on 10:01pm Thu 27 Mar 08
erith hardman on 2:53pm today
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that
Will that be when you get out of school.Stay in 'erif' you retard cretin,otherwise you may get lost.
erith hardman on 2:53pm today
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that
Will that be when you get out of school.Stay in 'erif' you retard cretin,otherwise you may get lost.
Posted by: Pink Kitten, London on 2:54pm Fri 28 Mar 08
[quote][bold]erith hardman[/bold] wrote:
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that[/quote] I'm guessing you're the kind of guy that drinks one pint of beer and thinks he is Lennox Lewis. Or are you the kind of mug who attacks someone from behind with a knife? Either way you talk like an idiot and I think it's hilarious that you expect people to take you seriously.
Ah Bless!
erith hardman wrote:
oh yes, he will be visited very soon, i can promish you that
I'm guessing you're the kind of guy that drinks one pint of beer and thinks he is Lennox Lewis. Or are you the kind of mug who attacks someone from behind with a knife? Either way you talk like an idiot and I think it's hilarious that you expect people to take you seriously.
Ah Bless!
Posted by: bored by it all on 10:50am Mon 31 Mar 08
"resident, bexley village" - don't get yourself in a state about nothing. Piggott the Bigot is not a real person, it's just one of a number of silly little fictional characters paid to wind people up.
"resident, bexley village" - don't get yourself in a state about nothing. Piggott the Bigot is not a real person, it's just one of a number of silly little fictional characters paid to wind people up.
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