A postman who dumped mail in the bin instead of delivering it was also caught with 1,904 postal items in his car, a court heard.

Asif Esmail Patel, who was jailed for 12 months yesterday, was said to have shirked his duties due to laziness and partly through ill health.

The 27-year-old pleaded guilty to theft of 246 Royal Mail postal items between October 31 and January 10.

Patel also admitted delaying 1,658 other items during the course of transmission by post between January 7 and 12.

Leicester Crown Court was told the father of one, of Stoughton Drive North, in Stoneygate, in Leicester, was based at the Wigston delivery office.

John Dove, prosecuting for the Royal Mail, said that as a result of complaints about missing mail on Patel's round, 12 test packages were sent through the post. Only six reached their destinations.

Investigators found a hoard of unopened, undelivered letters in his car, consisting of 659 personal items of post, including 47 greeting cards.

In a footwell were a further 240 items of personal mail, including the six test packets.

The Royal Mail then delivered the items, with apology letters.

When questioned, Patel blamed his "laziness" and said on three or four occasions he had simply dumped post unopened in the bin.

He said: "I never opened it. I know what I did was wrong, but I don't steal."

Mr Dove said: "What he did undermines the integrity and confidence in the postal services and suspicion is also brought to bear on innocent employees."

Jacqui Callam, in mitigation, said: "He'd not been working on deliveries for very long.

"Prior to this, he'd had a car accident resulting in him being off work for eight weeks.

"He'd been seeing the Royal Mail physiotherapist and was told he should be on half duties.

"It was his laziness coupled with issues relating to his health.

"He accepts responsibility for what he's done and knows it's a severe breach of trust."

Sentencing, Judge Michael Fowler said: "Every postman understands how sacrosanct the material they are handling is.

"I don't think he's being frank, having regard to the pre-sentence report, about his true activities.

"Personal communications have value."