A SHOPPER found a parcel torn to shreds by her Cockapoo after a delivery driver hurled it over a garden gate with a note saying ‘left with dog’.

Elly Holstead, 49, was furious when she came home from work to find the item she had bought from shopping site Very ripped to bits.

The mum-of-two claims a Yodel driver dumped the parcel into her garden – leaving it with two-year-old Cockapoo Roman.

Elly, who runs her own charity to help people with autism, said: "When I got home from work, I walked past he gate and it just caught my eye.

'I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT'
"I was so surprised and just couldn't believe, the parcel was completely in bits. The packaging was completely destroyed and the skirt had teeth marks in it.

"When I saw the note saying it had been ‘left with the dog’, I almost found it funny – I'm not sure why anyone would think that was a good thing to do.

"I called Yodel and told them what had happened and he said to send the item back.

"I told him I couldn't do that because it was in bits and covered in dog poo and the packaging and return slipped had also been destroyed.

DOG LOOKED FRIENDLY
"He then told me that it would be fine and I should just stick it all in a carrier a bag but I thought, 'I'm not touching that'."

Elly said when she made a phone call to Very, the company apologised for the mishap and offered to send a new one as a replacement.

The original Yodel driver handed the package over to Elly and apologised for the mishap.

Elly said: "When I asked her why she had done it, she said 'I thought he looked really friendly'.

"I just couldn't believe it."

A spokesperson for Shop Direct, which operates Very.co.uk, said: "We’ve contacted Ms Holstead to apologise for the customer service and delivery failures she experienced.

"We’ve sent her a replacement skirt and refunded the original cost of the item. We’ve also sent a bunch of flowers to say sorry."

Yodel spokesperson Sarah Barnes said: “Our driver has since been in touch with Ms Holstead to safely deliver a replacement item, apologise, and agree an alternative location for her future deliveries."