A woman was left fuming after an Amazon delivery driver left a package in her household waste bin - which was emptied before she found the calling card.
Helen Verrill, 50, had just returned home from a mini-break in Yorkshire when she found a calling card to say a driver left the gift in her bin.
But, by the time she read the card, a thoughtful neighbour had already put her rubbish out for collection.
Teeside Live said the parcel was on its way to landfill when the biochemist returned from celebrating her 50th birthday at the Star Inn At Harome, near Helmsley.
She said: "We went away for the night, came back the next morning and our neighbour had kindly put the bin out.
"When we picked up the post in the letter box there was a note to say there was a parcel for us in the bin.
"Neither of us ordered anything, we have no idea what it is.
"I have never known them put it in with your household waste."
She added: "I think it's pretty poor to be honest, they could have left it with a neighbour, they could have done all sorts of things.
"My neighbours are retired and they are in all the time."
The note on the card left by the courier said: "Brown lid bin @ back to keep dry" and was accompanied by a smiley face.
But Helen has been left with little to smile about as she wonders quite why the package was ever placed in a domestic waste bin in the first place.
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"It's possible somebody has sent me something for my birthday," she said, adding that Amazon has said it will send her a hamper and is investigating the incident.
An Amazon spokesperson said: "We have very high standards for our delivery service providers and expect every package to be handled with care.
"We've notified the right teams internally and will work with the customers directly on matters related to their package delivery."
