HAVING watched the Channel 4 documentary on the Royal Mail I was astonished at the inference that all postmen and postwomen are dishonest and lazy.

In my 24 years at the Kidderminster delivery office I found an honest, dedicated and very, very hard working group of postal workers.

I know that it is fact that some mail goes missing, and it is true that sometimes there is a bad apple in the barrel, but they are soon found out and retribution is quick and, in some cases, dismissal has been needed.

Kidderminster is primarily a delivery office. This means that they can only deliver the mail that is delivered to them. Should an item go missing then it has probably not got to the office in the first place and this could be caused by a problem elsewhere in the system.

Kidderminster does have a clear policy, which means they deliver every item that comes into the office daily.

Sometimes there are unclear addresses on the mail and the only way that this mail gets delivered is through local knowledge of the post persons, and in other cases the mail is so badly addressed it is impossible to deliver and is sent to the return letter branch, to be sent back to the sender.

I sincerely hope those who watched the programme will realise where it was filmed and that the worst possible situations were picked out for the programme.

It did not show the hard work of postal workers all over the country, who are in a changing situation and who are still trying to give a first class service.

I was very proud to be a part of Royal Mail and work with the postmen and women at Kidderminster delivery office, so please bear with them in a difficult job and do not tar all these honest hard-working and dedicated staff with the same Channel 4 brush.

DAVE SANDS

Recently retired Kidderminster

delivery manager,

White Heart Close, Bewdley