Speculation continues to grow in Skelfleet following the periodic appearance of a large ginger cat at the counter of the High Street Post Office every Tuesday morning between nine and eleven o’clock.

The animal, described by onlookers as exceptionally well-fed and possessing an unblinking gaze, routinely sits beside the brass postal scales while pension payments are issued.

Sub-postmaster Mr Oswald Thistlewood has taken the step of issuing a formal statement to quell gossip regarding the cat’s official status within Her Majesty’s Royal Mail network.

“I wish to clarify that the cat is not an employee of the Post Office,” Mr Thistlewood stated. “It does not possess an official staff badge, nor does it receive remuneration in the form of catnip or salmon chunks from departmental funds. It merely sits on the counter and inspects customer airmail envelopes with what appears to be mild disapproval.”

Despite these assurances, several elderly residents have reported feeling comforted by the feline’s presence during second-class stamp transactions.

An appeal to trace the animal’s owner has produced no results, though Mrs G. Smalley of Church Lane claims to have seen the cat boarding the 11:15 bus to Barton-upon-Humber on two separate occasions.