Bad Santa's obscene mail

A "ROGUE ELF" who wrote obscene letters that kids believed were from Santa Claus is being hunted by the post office and police in Canada, it is reported.

At least 10 nasty letters have been sent back to children in Ottawa who wrote to Santa Claus care of the North Pole using a special H0H 0H0 postcode.

Normally the letters, part of a popular "Write to Santa" program are replied to from "Santa" - really 11,000 Canada Post employees and volunteers.

"We firmly believe there is just one rogue elf out there," a Canada Post spokeswoman told paper The Ottawa Citizen.

Until the festive fiend is caught, the program, which last year delivered more than a million letters to children in Canada and around the world, has been shut down in the city.

News entry number 705 added on Dec 15, 2007 in the World News category.