A MAN accused of stealing post from a sorting office has been charged with theft and is due to appear before a court next week.

CHARGES: Delivery office manager Ian Taylor pictured in December. JON GRANGER REF: 50014939B000
Royal Mail manager Ian Robert Taylor was suspended by his employers while an investigation was carried out in June.
The 49-year-old has subsequently been charged and is listed to appear before Furness Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The Royal Mail will prosecute the case.
Taylor, of Maylands Grove, Barrow, has been charged with the theft of a postal packet containing a £20 Next gift card on March 28.
He is also accused of the theft of 15 postal packets belonging to the Royal Mail of an unknown value, between May 4 and 27.
Taylor is also charged with dishonestly making a false representation that he was in authorised possession of and entitled to use a Next gift card to the value of £20 with the intent to make a gain for himself, on April 1.
The Royal Mail launched an internal investigation earlier this year and suspended Taylor from his post at the Abbey Road sorting office, Barrow, where around 120 employees are based, including postmen and women and sorting staff, dealing with post from across the borough.
In June, a spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that an employee from the Barrow-in-Furness delivery office has been suspended following an investigation by the Royal Mail Security Team relating to the intentional delay of mail.” Royal Mail said it would not comment further at this stage.