Pensioner Alfred Cachia has had enough of having to chase his pension cheque whenever it is delivered to the wrong address, sometimes leading to a 10-week delay before he receives his money.

For the past three years, the 72-year-old has been complaining to his postman because his pension, which he receives from Canada, sometimes ends up in a random alley in Xgħajra – a village which shares the same name as the street where he lives in Żabbar.

“I complained to every postman and woman in the area... it’s a nuisance and an inconvenience,” Mr Cachia insisted.

But when contacted, a Maltapost spokesman said: “It appears Mr Cachia has never filed an official complaint”.

Mr Cachia lived in Canada for about 40 years and returned to his homeland, Malta, to retire.

Every month a private company in Canada sends his pension cheque to his Żabbar address but he does not always receive it.

“At first the company would call me to ask why I had not yet cashed my cheque as they wanted to process their accounts... But now they stopped calling and, when I don’t receive my cheque on time, I assume it was sent to the wrong place and automatically cancel it. This costs me €42 each time,” he said.

After cancelling his cheque he would inform the company, which would issue another one in the hope that it reaches its destination. As a result he had to wait for several weeks to get hold of his money.

He is particularly concerned since sometimes the cancelled cheques return to him in a sealed Maltapost envelope stating the original mail had been opened.

The fact that the person living at the wrong address takes several weeks to re-post his cheque, to be delivered to the correct address, has caused him to worry that someone may try and cash it.

The problem was temporarily resolved when he re-directed his pension to his bank but the Canadian company stopped this practice because of costs.