For more than 500 years post was delivered by Royal Mail until, after a long reign, the Dutch recently decided the UK deserved “greater choice”.

Netherlands company TNT Post expanded its operations and since February has been delivering mail to residents of north west London.

But Heathman understands not all has gone to plan.

For one Swiss Cottage resident, going Dutch has meant that a letter about a hospital appointment sent from the Royal Free, based just 20 minutes walk from his home, took 19 days to arrive.

Shortly afterwards a bundle of mail for a different road was also incorrectly delivered to Warren Hearnden’s house.

The retired art history lecturer of Greencroft Gardens told Heathman: “Since TNT Post took on responsibility for delivering mail in this district the service has been deplorable. Post arrives intermittently or indeed late and never before 5pm.

“Their delivery operatives, I loath to call them postmen, appear to be wholly uninformed about the district in which they find themselves.”

Other residents have also accused TNT postmen of “getting lost”, “dumping letters in post boxes or random houses”, and of “long, long delays”.

In April, one London MP even chanced upon a sack of TNT post at the bottom of a river.

TNT Post apologised to Mr Hearnden but insisted residents would benefit from “a competitive market place”.