A rookie postman dumped more than 4,000 letters after becoming overwhelmed by the amount of mail he had to deliver, a court heard.

Three sackloads were secreted in his garage and hundreds more letters hidden in his car and bedroom while the rest of the mail was  just dumped at sites around Wolverhampton.

Amritpal Singh Kandola, of Uplands Avenue, Bradmore, Wolverhampton, was suspended after only five weeks in the job then sacked.

The 25-year-old, who took the job to help pay for his wedding, told Royal Mail investigators: “I’ve been an idiot.”

Roger Dove, prosecuting, said the offences came to light when 186 items of post were found in a recycling skip in Coseley on July 3, a little over a month after Kandola had started work at the city centre depot.

The mail was traced to Kandola’s beat and he told investigators there was more mail in his car. Some 433 letters were found in the vehicle, Wolverhampton magistrates were told yesterday. 

At his home, police found a further 1,500 letters.

It emerged he had dumped 1,500 letters in a field at Wrottesley, near Wolverhampton,  and around 200 more items in recycling bins in Wolverhampton.

When asked why he had done it, he said he was “fed up” with his job.

Kandola, who worked as a part-time carer, had been told by his family to get a full-time job to help pay for his wedding but couldn’t cope with the demands of the job, said Sarbjit Lalli, defending, 

Kandola, who admitted six offences involving either delaying, damaging or opening the post, was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay a total of £2,388.

But District Judge Shamim Qureshi said: “Royal Mail will have to consider whether they are putting too much stress and workload on their employees.”