Probe launched after ‘thousands’ of items of mail went astray in Uddingston

The alleged offence date back a year – meaning that some householders did not receive postal voting forms for last year’s snap General Election.

Key pieces of correspondence like notifications of hospital appointments are also reported to have gone astray as well as Christmas cards, some with cash gifts inside them.

The Motherwell Times understands that the amount of missing letters runs into the thousands but that some of the mail mysteriously started to re-surface at a later date

Some householders queried the loss of letters at the sorting office where staff admitted there was an issue.

Last week Royal Mail were staying tight lipped on the issue but have agreed to release a statement to the Motherwell Times, stating that action has been taken.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “The safety and security of the mail is of paramount importance to Royal Mail.

“We deliver millions of items safely every day and the theft of mail is very rare.

“Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty and the safety and security of mail is of the utmost importance to this business.

“It is a criminal offence to tamper with or delay the delivery of mail and anyone caught doing so will face serious disciplinary measures.

“Royal Mail will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust.

“Recovered items were delivered to customers earlier this year.”