TWO postmen, who between them failed to deliver more than 12,000 items of mail, have been handed suspended jail terms.

Christopher Wills was given 300 hours' community service for burning more than 1,000 letters and not delivering a further 1,500.

And Alistair Brudenell was handed 200 hours' unpaid work for failing to deliver more than 9,800 pieces of mail.

Magistrates in Derby were told the charred remains of mail burnt by Wills were discovered by firefighters who were called out to reports of a blaze in a hedge.

Andy Cash, prosecuting, told Derby and South Derbyshire Magistrates' Court that Wills, 28, of Adler Court, Derby, had been employed by Royal Mail for seven months.

He said: "On February 20, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service received an emergency call about a hedge fire in Waterford Drive, Chaddesden. Postal packets were found to be the primary cause of the fire. There were 915 fire-damaged packets and the debris of 100 more."

Mr Cash said Royal Mail investigators recovered a red petrol can at the scene.Wills' home address was then searched. No mail was found but a petrol can matching the one recovered was discovered.

They also found 1,081 packets and the contents of two letters in a Ford Focus parked at his address. A further 427 pieces of mail were found in a storage box used by Wills.

Wills had earlier admitted two counts of intentionally delaying the delivery of 1,510 items of mail between January 10 and February 23. He also admitted arson after burning 1,015 letters and packages belonging to Royal Mail on February 23.

Nick Wright, for Wills, said his client had been going through personal difficulties and regretted his actions.

Sentencing him at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court yesterday, Bernard Thorpe said: "You were fulfilling a job of public importance and you broke that trust. You tried to cover your tracks. People expect their mail to be delivered. It is a serious matter."

Wills was handed a 26-week jail term, suspended for two years. He was given a curfew to remain at home from 7pm until 7am each night and told to pay costs of almost £400.

In a separate hearing, the court heard that Brudenell failed to deliver more than 9,800 pieces of mail, which he said was mostly junk. Letters the 46-year-old failed to deliver were found in a storage box and mail was also discovered when his home was searched.

Brudenell, of Poole Street, Allenton, had earlier admitted intentionally delaying 171 pieces of mail between January 30 and February 10. He also admitted intentionally delaying 9,645 packages due for the Castle Donington area.

Mr Wright, for Brudenell, said heavy snow on February 5 meant his client had to deliver twice the amount of mail the next day. He said: "It became too much of a burden for him. He says sorry for his foolishness and accepts it was a stupid thing to do."

Brudenell was given a 20-week sentence, suspended for 18 months. He, too, was given a curfew between 7pm and 7am, and told to pay £600 costs.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "Royal Mail has a zero-tolerance approach to any dishonesty and that stance is shared by the overwhelming majority of postmen and women, who are honest and hardworking. We will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust."