RESIDENTS embroiled in the suspected stolen mail scandal today said they were confident they had received all their post over the Christmas period.

RESIDENTS embroiled in the suspected stolen mail scandal today said they were confident they had received all their post over the Christmas period.

A number of people in the Purdis Farm Lane and Bucklesham Road area were stunned to learn in November that their mail had been going missing for the last four years.

A 36-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft following a Royal Mail investigation and sack-loads of mail have been returned to their recipients. He has been bailed until February 17.

Chrissy Grainger, of Purdis Farm Lane, lost share certificates and a wedding invitation during that period, but said the service recently had been excellent.

She said: “It has been spot on. We have had regular deliveries, so let's hope they can keep it up.”

Mrs Grainger said the vast majority of mail returned to her had been junk and that she had not lost any post that had been handwritten.

She added: “In our case, I don't think we lost anything important. Most of it was rubbish.”

Neill Ellice and his wife, Moria, became suspicious at their erratic post and were staggered by the amount that was returned to them.

But Mrs Ellice, 59, of Purdis Farm Lane, said she did not think she had missed out on any post this year.

She said: “I think we did get all our Christmas cards this year.

“We have had a good amount of mail and it has been continuous nearly every day. I'm not sure how many we may have missed last year.”

Mr Ellice is also general manager of Ipswich Golf Club, which is also part of the round and lost post, is now trying to claim compensation.

A spokesman for Royal Mail has said of the incident: “We seek to fully address concerns raised with us by customers and take appropriate action.

“Royal Mail takes the problem of theft very seriously and has invested heavily over many years to protect the security of mail.

“In each incident we work closely with police to investigate and prosecute offenders and to ensure that all possible measures are being taken to prevent future attacks on the mail.”

Have you been affected? Write to Your Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk