Letters addressed to "Father Christmas at the North Pole" are being given special treatment by the Swiss postal service.

A five-person team is charged with identifying the senders and answering the letters, a service that has been provided since 1950.

Last year more than 17,800 children sent Christmas letters and 96 per cent of them could be answered, Swiss Post said in a statement.

The seasonal letters are taken to a sorting centre where they are divided up by language and, whenever possible, answered.

The responses are mailed back with a specially chosen children's stamp and include a small gift for each child.

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