MOUNTAINS of mail containing up to 10,000 undelivered letters were seized by police after they swooped on a home.
Officers from Pitsea recovered 58 black binliners and 76 Royal Mail red delivery bags from the garage of a semi-detached house in Swanstead, Pitsea. They also seized a red postman’s bicycle and more letters were found stashed in the loft of the house.
The property is believed to have once been lived in by a former Royal Mail worker. However, it is understood the woman arrested yesterday was not the former mail worker.
Officers probing the theft of mail, arrested a man in connection with their investigation last October.
Yesterday’s raid and arrest is the latest development in an ongoing saga. Investigating officer PC Alan Ratnage, of Pitsea police, said officers were shocked at their find.
He said: “We were very surprised at the amount of mail we recovered.
“All the letters have been handed back to Royal Mail who have an obligation, as far as possible, to return them to the people they were intended for. We now have a huge amount of inquiries to follow up and will be working with Royal Mail on this.”
Stunned neighbours could not believe their eyes when they saw the massive haul. One 64-year-old woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I couldn’t believe the number of bags the officers were bringing out, just sacks and sacks of letters.”
The sacks of letters are understood to contain everything from letters and cards to potentially valuable parcels.
An investigator from Royal Mail met with police at the scene and recovered the mail. However, Royal Mail remained tight-lipped.
It confirmed it was investigating a former employee, but would not confirm if anyone had been suspended or sacked in connection with the undelivered letters.
Royal Mail spokesman James Taylor said: “Following the recovery of a quantity of allegedly delayed mail at an address in Basildon, we are investigating allegations against a former employee. Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any instances of delaying the mail."
Royal Mail refused to give dates the mail went missing between.
A 28-year-old woman from Vange was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. She remains in custody where she is being questioned. A 36-year-old man from Basildon, arrested in connection with the theft, remains on police bail until next month.
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