MARTIN Cook’s teenage son, Daniel, had a birthday card arrive on the day of his 17th birthday in January in a sealed Royal Mail bag to say that it had been damaged.

Martin, 47, said: “My brother, Ian, sent Daniel the card from Birmingham and when Daniel opened it, he saw that one side had been ripped and then the other side had been cut and the £20 note had gone.

“We received it on the day of Daniel’s birthday and he was obviously really disappointed, as he was looking forward to buying himself something nice.

“Ian got in contact with Royal Mail and he was told that the damage didn’t happen their way, so they would only be able to refund him for the price of a postage stamp, as it was sent by recorded delivery.

“Obviously, if someone from Royal Mail is doing this regularly and finding the money, then they are getting something out of it.”