Postman caught burning 3,600 letters he could not be bothered to deliver

Police caught the accused setting fire to the pile of post and recovered 3,583 letters, but do not know how many he managed to burn.

They say he had kept the correspondence in his home in Marbella (Málaga province) for over six months.

As well as a jail sentence, the postman faces a six-year ban on holding any job or unpaid role in the public sector, and has been charged with failing in his duty of care whilst in the custody of other people's goods, and wilful destruction of property which was not his own.

He is said to have been regularly failing to deliver letters between at least August 2013 and January 2014, and instead stashing them in his home, unopened.

The accused began burning them all on January 24 that year, but was caught in the act at around 18.30hrs.

Police are unaware of how many letters had been completely destroyed by the time he was found out.

Investigations began after a high number of Costa del Sol residents reported that they were not receiving mail, including letters they were expecting.

It is not thought that the suspect opened any of the post or stole anything from inside the envelopes, but that he was merely trying to get out of having to do his morning round.

Photograph: A post office distribution headquarters in Spain