Several Royal Mail workers have lost their jobs as a result of stealing from postage items.

An investigation carried out by the News of the World revealed that 25 members of staff working at the Bathgate sorting office in West Lothian have been sacked for removing Christmas presents from packages.

According to an undercover reporter, staff were hiding stolen products in the toilets, as well as tearing into parcels to take valuable objects.

One employee told the journalist that criminals consider taking up part-time work with Royal Mail to be "big business" as they know that security is not as good as it is purported to be.

"Every year we get temporary workers who come here with a view to nicking Christmas presents," it was said.

This follows a recent revelation from Consumer Focus, which found that 55 per cent of Royal Mail customers claim to have received a Sorry You Were Out card, despite being at home waiting for their post.

Author:  Gillian Walters