Dear sir, you're pregnant, hospital tells man

The staff at a London hospital sent the letter to Hilton Plettell - even addressed Mr. Plettell - telling him that in just seven months' time he would be giving birth to twins, a media report said.

A hospital in Britain has mistakenly sent a letter to a 50-year-old man telling him he was pregnant with twins, a media report said Thursday.

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The staff at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital sent the letter to Hilton Plettell - even addressed Mr. Plettell - telling him that in just seven months' time he would be giving birth to twins, the Daily Mail reported on its website.

The hospital even told the "flabbergasted" man that he ought to come in for a scan.

Plettell, who lives about 260 km away in Kings Heath, Birmingham, was also advised: "Please also attend with a full bladder."

The letter explained: "An ultrasound scan is used to check pregnancy, to determine how far pregnant you are, and sometimes it can show twins."

The merchandising manager for department stores had only once visited the hospital - 15 years ago for a kidney stones surgery.

He was also left puzzled by a sticker attached to the letter that specified that Plettell is male.

Revealing his surprise Wednesday, he said: "It came as a bit of a shock to say the least, I had to read it through twice as I thought I must have read it wrong."

"I've shown the letter to quite a few friends and they can't believe it either," he said.

"My partner asked me if it was a secret I had been keeping from her - everyone has had a good laugh about it."

"I knew the letter was genuine. The date of birth, the national insurance number and everything on there is correct," Plettell noted.

"I'm just surprised they can send something like that."

And since the unexpected news, Plettell has become the butt of all his mates' jokes - most of them ending with Mothercare in the punchline.