A postman who was sacked for failing to deliver a handful of letters is taking his case to an industrial tribunal.

Jamie Reed, was dismissed from his job with Royal Mail at the end of September after he failed to deliver nine letters.

Royal Mail say Mr Reed wilfully delayed the mail. However, the young father of two, of North Dean Avenue, Keighley, claims he did not delay the mail on purpose.

The letters were discovered on the morning of Friday, September 18, when a routine bag inspection was carried out by Jamie's manager Darren Banks. The postman was suspended and escorted off the premises.

Jamie says: "My mail was folded in my bag and the letters that should have been delivered had disappeared down the middle of my bag."

He took his case to an appeal on October 26 in the hope of changing the decision from wilful delay to negligence, however the appeal ruled that the original decision should stand.

With the support of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) the 23-year-old is now taking his case to a tribunal. "If they offered me my job back tomorrow I would be over the moon and jump at the chance," he says.

The postman has been delivering mail in the Broomhill area for the last two and a half years and says this was his first offence. A petition calling for his reinstatement can be signed at Ruby newsagents on West Lane.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.