A POST Office investigator placed a "test" package after receiving information that a Blackburn postman was stealing bank cards from the mail.

Blackburn magistrates heard that when the bait was taken, the investigators went to the home of Stephen Higham where they found three opened birthday cards and four letters which had previously contained plastic cards.

The court heard that a further 11 packages were found in Higham's car and undelivered advertising literature was found in the coal hole at his home in Hertford Street, Blackburn.

Higham, 36, pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and one of deliberately delaying the mail and asked for two offences to be taken into consideration.

He was made subject to a community rehabilitation order for 18 months, ordered to do 100 hours community punishment and pay £500 costs.

John Daly, prosecuting on behalf of the Royal Mail, said Higham had been a postman for four years and three months until his suspension in January.

He said that a number of test packages had been placed in the system and when Higham failed to deliver a specially prepared package, he was approached by members of the investigating team.

He initially denied the theft but agreed to a search of his home. There the investigators found the opened birthday cards and the envelopes that had previously contained plastic cards.

Of the 11 packages recovered from the boot of Higham's car, ten were of the credit card type.

Michael Blacklidge, defending, said Higham had joined the Scots Guards on leaving school but his army career had been terminated by illness.

At that stage in his life Higham had got involved with "the wrong sort" and had acquired a criminal record.

"To his credit he has re-established himself and developed a pattern of full-time work," said Mr Blacklidge. "Even after this unfortunate episode he has not sat back for very long.

"He has acquired a franchise as a book seller and has achieved the level where he is self-financing, supporting himself and his partner.

"He knows this kind of offence often attracts a custodial sentence and he is not going to place himself in that situation again," added Mr Blacklidge.