RED-FACED Royal Mail officials were investigating today after a postman left a parcel in a brown wheelie bin for safekeeping...only for the dustmen to collect it and empty it into their truck.

RED-FACED Royal Mail officials were investigating today after a postman left a parcel in a brown wheelie bin for safekeeping...only for the dustmen to collect it and empty it into their truck.

Householder Robert Burch was left fuming after the disappearance of the package and today Royal Mail apologised for what it said was an “unacceptable lapse”.

“I cannot believe someone would place a parcel in a bin full of garden rubbish and cardboard,” said Mr Burch, of Waveney Road, Felixstowe.

“I was on holiday and had left my bin there so it could be emptied by the dustmen while I was away.

“It appears they did that and then threw the parcel in the back of their truck, too.

“I do not blame the bin men at all - it is the stupidity of the postal service. Why could they not have just taken my parcel back to the post office so I could have collected it later?

“If it hadn't been taken by the bin men it could have been stolen or left sitting in all that smelly rubbish for days.”

When Mr Burch, who works as a porter at the Hotel Elizabeth Orwell, and his wife Susan arrived home they found a Royal Mail card among their post on their doormat.

The card said the parcel hade been delivered at 10.45am on the Wednesday but was too big for the letter box and had been “left in brown bin”.

The bin though was empty.

“Usually if I have a parcel delivered when I am out, they leave a card which you take to the post office and collect the item,” Mr Burch said.

He went to post office parcels inquiries in Hamilton Road but was told there was no manager available and he would have to make an appointment to see the area manager when he visited.

“It was a sort of 'so what' attitude, and I have heard nothing since,” he said.

The parcel was sent by Mr Burch's daughter in London at a cost of £6 and contained two promotional rugby shirts, some underwear and family photographs.

“The parcel had no great financial value but it is the principle,” he said.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “We would like to apologise to the customer for what was an unacceptable lapse in standards.

“We are investigating the matter internally and will take appropriate action.”

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