'My neighbour stole my parcel and what she did with it floored me'

Sometimes, your neighbours do things that rub you the wrong way. Maybe they throw the occasional party with music that's a bit too loud, or perhaps they sometimes take your bin instead of their own by mistake after it's been emptied. These annoyances come with living in a community, and they're normally easy to ignore.

However, one woman found her neighbourhas gone beyond being merely frustrating at times, as she's actually stolen one of her parcels and is refusing to give it back. The woman explained on Reddit the neighbour actually lives in the next street across from hers, but a delivery mix-up meant her package was delivered to the other woman's house.

When she went to collect it and explain what had happened, the neighbour told her she would be keeping it for herself.

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In her post, the woman, from the US, said the package was a dress she had bought to wear to a job interview, and she purchased it while it was on sale and the last in her size - which meant she was floored by her neighbour's response.

She wrote: "I thought it was going to be a simple, 'Hey! I think my package was delivered here by accident. Do you have it?' But the woman said 'Yes, I did receive it, so I called the company and they told me to keep the dress and they would send you a new one'. And I said, 'Well, I'm aware this was the last one of my size in stock, it was a discounted item, and I need it for a job interview in a couple of days. Can you just give me the package?'

WARNING: The below Reddit post contains strong language...

"She proceeded to tell me no because she had already given the dress to a friend. I asked her to please call the friend and have them bring it back, but conveniently, the 'friend is out of town all week'… bulls**t."

The woman gave her neighbour a week to return the dress, and when she heard nothing, she decided to get the police involved. Unfortunately, they told her that since it was delivered by UPS (United Parcel Service) and not USPS (United States Postal Service), her neighbour hasn't committed a "federal crime".

She still believes her neighbour has committed mail theft, however, and wants to continue pursuing action.

The woman continued: "At this point, it's just more about principle and p***es me off that she opened my mail to decide if what was inside was 'worth keeping' rather than waiting for the rightful owner to come looking for it or contacting UPS about it."

Commenters on the post urged the woman to contact UPS, as they may be able to collect the parcel on her behalf and redeliver it to the correct address.

One person said: "I have had this happen twice and contacted the postal service who retrieved the parcel from the person and redelivered it."

Another added: "The audacity. Some people are wild. I'd let the cops visit, but won't get your dress back."

Is it illegal to open someone else's post?

Under the Postal Services Act 2000, it is illegal in the UK to open someone else's post without their consent. The act also states it is illegal to intentionally delay a postal packet while it is being delivered.

The act reads: "A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he – (a)intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or (b) intentionally opens a mail-bag. A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him."

Those found liable for the offence could face a fine or a prison sentence of between six months and two years, depending on the circumstances.

If you do get a package that isn't yours delivered to your house, instead of throwing it away or opening it, there are a couple of things you can do. If the package or letter has your address but not your name, you can cross out the address, write "Not known at this address" on the front of the package or envelope, and put it back in a postbox.

And if the letter has been delivered to your house by mistake with an incorrect address, you can simply pop it back in a postbox and Royal Mail will redeliver it to the correct address the next time it's out for delivery.