Postbag dumped outside post office in Collier Row

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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THE Royal Mail is investigating how a postbag brimming with letters, including passport data, was discovered dumped outside the main post office in Collier Row, last week.

A concerned passer-by spotted the abandoned sack on the pavement in Collier Row Road just after 5.30pm, last Thursday evening and stood guard for about an hour.

He believes his quick-thinking prevented the mail from being stolen.

"A couple of men saw the bag and were hanging around looking at it", said the man, who asked not to be named,.

"But then they noticed me and got back in their car and drove off. They probably would've made off with it if I wasn't there."

After trying unsuccessfully to get in touch with Royal Mail, the good samaritan finally contacted the Mawneys safer neighbourhoods policing team who delivered the post to the nearby Sandgate sorting office in Crow Lane.

According to the man, the postbag was full of around 300 items of unprocessed mail, including passport information that had been handed in by customers at the Collier Row branch that day.

The man said: "I know some posties are on strike but if that's the sort of outrageously stupid behaviour we get with the people we trust our mail with - especially in an age when we are all told to beware of identity theft and fraud - maybe it's about time we had a change.

Postbox

"Why couldn't the staff have put the mail into the post box after all that's what it's there for and at least it would have been safe there? But there again that would have been too easy!"

He added: "My main concern is that there was passport information, as well as birthday cards, which may have had money, cheques or postal orders."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "The safety of the mail is of utmost importance to the Royal Mail and this should never have happened.

"We are very grateful to the member of public who raised the alert over this bag of mail and we are conducting an urgent inquiry into what happened.

[jockstrapp]

The man said: "I know some posties are on strike but if that's the sort of outrageously stupid behaviour we get with the people we trust our mail with - especially in an age when we are all told to beware of identity theft and fraud - maybe it's about time we had a change.

This is the stupid kind of remark I would expect from an @RSEHOLE who does'nt know the facts

[DGP1]

It looks to me like the collection driver left the bag down to do something else and then forgot about it I remember doing collections and forgetting to take the keys out of the box until I got to the next box

[dvbuk55]

Well really it's understandable at your age - is this the key you lost

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