A POSTMAN has admitted stealing cash from mail that he was meant to be delivering.

Simon Holden had only been working with the Royal Mail for one month when he began helping himself to the money.

Investigators from the company moved in after two opened greetings cards were found in the waste bin at the delivery office.

Blackburn Magistrates Court heard they ‘planted’ a card containing a £25 Marks and Spencer voucher in Holden’s round and that went missing.

And on another day four packages were put in his round and they all disappeared.

After being confronted with the evidence the 37-year-old resigned from his role.

The defendant, of Fosse Close, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to eight charges of theft of a postal packet.

He was committed on bail to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on October 22.

Helen Farnsworth, defending, said it was important to understand that the grand total of what her client had stolen was less than £200.

Speaking after the hearing, a Royal Mail spokesman said Holden had abused his ‘position of trust’.

He said: “Royal Mail can confirm that Simon Holden is a former Royal Mail employee. He resigned from his post after investigations.

“Royal Mail will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust. Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty and that stance is shared by the overwhelming majority of postmen and women, who are honest and hardworking and who do all they can to protect the mail and deliver it safely.

“It is a criminal offence to tamper with or delay the delivery of the mail.

“The safety and security of mail is of the utmost importance to this business and Royal Mail will not allow the actions of any individual to damage the good reputation of our thousands of hard-working postmen and women. ”