A THIEVING postman who stashed so much mail he had letters piled 12 centimetres deep throughout his flat has been jailed for eight months.

Instead of completing his deliveries in Toxteth, Adam Moore, 22, kept almost 18,000 items of post, Liverpool crown court heard.

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, told the court Moore caused 17,944 letters and parcels to be delayed.

The postman, who worked at the Copperas Hill mail centre, had opened 1,408 letters looking for cash and admitted stealing £500 over a six-week period.

Royal Mail started investigating Moore in April following complaints from his bosses, the court heard.

They saw him loading two mailbags into his car.

Investigators who arrived at Moore’s flat in Island Road, Garston, found the entire floor space was covered with piles of letters 12cm deep.

Mr Astbury said it was almost impossible to walk around his flat without stepping on the undelivered post.

It was even in the bathroom and investigators found post stashed in his car, some of which had been shredded.

It eventually needed a seven and a half tonne truck to collect the mail from his flat and take it back to the depot.

Moore, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to delaying the mail, theft and criminal damage.

Andrew Sinker, defending, said Moore had been in debt and was working late in a bar and then getting up early the next day to work in the post office.

He said: “Things got on top of him.

“It was his intention to put the mail back and then curiosity got the better of him and £500 was the only benefit to him.”

Sentencing Moore, Judge Ian Trigger told Moore he had opened 226 greetings cards.

He said: “That is 226 people, in all probability, deprived of their cards, which you opened and some £500 had been taken by you.

“The amount of letters and parcel found shows the chaos you caused.”