The top five strangest items found in the post

It's quite likely that your postal habits are rather normal. You probably send birthday presents, things you've sold on eBay and maybe return the odd pair of jeans that you really shouldn't have bought through mail order. Not all users of the postal service can be described as 'normal', however, given the 'unique' items that some people have attempted to send - not all of which have been successfully delivered.

Here are a few examples of some of the very strangest postal items:

Back to the future

A Birmingham man once tried to send the time machine he had built to his friend, as he insisted that it was taking up too much room in his house. He needed a courier that was going to look after it well, as he had been working on it for a year and it apparently had very fragile elements. Hopefully he only wanted it to be moved through space and not time.

Bricks to UKIP

The UK Independence Party, otherwise known as UKIP, regretted posting freepost flyers through peoples' doors when disgruntled homeowners decided to send them back using its freepost address. Some people simply decided to rip up or doodle on their flyers and send them back, but others went more extreme. Many people decided to send bricks to waste UKIP's money, as they would have to pay for the postage. One person even sent a box full of household junk. That's one way to get rid of your unwanted belongings.

Jess the cat

Jess the cat (no, she wasn't black and white) sent herself through the postal system by accident. A Royal Mail van driver was surprised to find her in the back of his vehicle. It's believed that she hopped into the van when it stopped in Southampton, but she was only discovered when it reached Langley in Berkshire. Unfortunately, Jess's owners did not microchip her, so the Battersea Old Windsor cattery is looking after her until her owners can be tracked down.

Human remains and rancid cheese

Improbable Research conducted an experiment in 2000 to see how many strange items they could sneak through the US post. A few of the items made it through, including a tooth. However, it was repackaged with a note stating that normally human remains aren't allowed through the post, but an exception was made on this occasion because it was deemed to be of "sentimental value".

However the team took it a step too far when they decided to send rancid cheese and dead fish to themselves. They were asked if they were part of a cult and warned that they could be fined for abusing the postal service.

Hermione Granger and the Endless Supply of Bibles

Celebrities are known for having weird items sent to them in the post. Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, is no exception and has been sent over 20 bibles from people who believe the films to be 'unChristian.' No one tell them about the 'Lord of the Rings' films or 'Game of Thrones'...

Although it may be amusing to put ridiculous items in the post, remember to check whether it's actually okay to send them. Don't be surprised if the courier bursts into laughter when you explain to them you want to send a fish tank, complete with all the water and fish, through the post, (this also apparently happened).