For nearly two decades Raymond Southwell has complained that his mail doesn't arrive at his home in Salterns Lane, Fareham.

Instead, it gets delivered to the nearby Salterns Estate. And no matter how many times he has complained, 76-year-old Mr Southwell has suffered the same problem.

'It's absolutely ridiculous,' said Mr Southwell, who lives with wife Jill, 66. 'Why it's been happening for so long, I don't know. It's not even that the post isn't correctly addressed – it always is.

'You can rant and rave as much as you want, but nothing changes. Up until now Royal Mail haven't apologised once.'

Mr Southwell says he has been calling Royal Mail on average once a month for the last two decades, but the problem has never been solved.

Now he's at the end of his tether after a credit card bill was delayed in getting to him, resulting in non-payment charges, and much-needed prescriptions didn't show up in time.

'We are desperate to sort this problem out', he said. 'I'm fed up of ringing up and being told it won't happen again, for it then to carry on.

'Both I and my wife are disabled. She has MS and I have arthritis, so we can't get to the door in time to catch the postman and check he's not wandering off with our post.

'The chap in Salterns Estate is very good at dropping things round for us. But sometimes he's away and so our mail sits on his doormat until he gets back. But he shouldn't have to do the postman's job anyway.'

The Southwells have tried to work out why postmen are having such trouble. They think it could be because their house has the only odd number in the street, and this is causing the postmen confusion.

'But it's not like we're hidden away,' said Mrs Southwell.

Since The News contacted Royal Mail, the company has promised the problem will stop.

Jane Thomas, a spokeswoman for Royal Mail, said: 'We apologise to Mr Southwell for any inconvenience caused and can assure him we've taken steps to prevent this happening again in the future.

'It would appear on odd occasions some one covering the regular post- man is not as familiar with the area and has accidentally mistaken Salterns Estate for Salterns Lane.

'We are now monitoring Mr Southwell's mail to make sure this is not repeated and we've also put a special notice on the sorting frame to remind all staff who go on that round to deliver to Salterns Lane.'