ROYAL Mail worker Stephen Tonge had to do a double take when he saw this van drive past him on Friday morning.

At first glance this red vehicle looks like any other iconic postal van, but it has been cheekily adapted to say 'Royal Snail' by Chorley Street Garage in Bolton.

Mr Tonge, aged 52, from Farnworth, said: "I saw it on Friday morning driving past me in Moses Gate. I've never seen anything like it before.

"Maybe they had a bad experience with Royal Mail in the past and they're poking fun, or maybe it's just a joke. Either way it made me smile."

It is not the first time the garage has worked its magic on a classic design — mechanics have also designed a silver police van with 'Polite' written on the side along with blue and yellow chequred squares.

A spokesman for the garage said it was done in jest.

He said: "We got the vehicle which looks just like a red Royal Mail van, but we decided to have a bit of fun with it by changing the lettering.

"There are already a few others like it on the car scene — I've seen one with Royal Nail on the side and another saying Royal Sail, so we thought we'd join in with the fun.

"We did it a few months ago and already it's turned a few heads. There's nothing malicious about it — it's just a laugh."