A couple’s Valentine's Day was ruined after Royal Mail failed to deliver their romantic gifts.

James Horn was livid when the card and present he ordered for his boyfriend William, 36, never turned up.

Last Thursday, the 23-year-old ordered a card with a personalised photo of the two printed on it, along with a gift card for a spa day together.

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However, by the time Wednesday rolled around, nothing dropped through the post box - which left James feeling ‘disappointed’.

Daily Echo: James Horn, 23James Horn, 23 (Image: Newsquest, Jose Ramos)

Speaking to the Echo, he said: “It’s like giving a child a sweet and then taking it away from them.

“The whole week I had been telling him that his gift was arriving and in the end it never did. It did ruin the day for us because I wanted to give him the gift.

“He was trying to say it’s okay - but it’s Valentine’s Day and Royal Mail just never warned me that the package would not arrive, and it’s not okay.”

In the end, the two decided to go out for a drink to try making the best of the ruined day.

James, who is an NHS volunteer responder, said the most frustrating thing was the lack of communication from the firm.

On Friday he called the customer service team to ask them why no post had been delivered.

He was told that it was due to staff sickness – and has been told that his post would be delivered by Saturday.

He told the Echo: “I get that people get sick, but it would be nice for them to have warned me that there had been staffing issues.

“If they had warned me in advance then at least I would have known that I wasn’t going to get any post.

“I just feel disappointed that there wasn’t a text message.

“Say it was a doctor’s appointment that I had been waiting for - I could have missed an appointment because I didn’t get the letter.”

Royal Mail has been approached for comment.