Postmaster's appeal as thief swipes £1,000 haul

The thief struck as staff were serving customers during a busy morning at the Wesham Post Office and General Store in Garstang Road South.

Sub postmaster Nick Houldsworth explained how the cash went missing.

He said: “This happened at around 11.30am on Tuesday.

“The shop was busy and we had two workers on the counter.

“One was working in the shop the other was working on the post office counter.

“She had taken a quantity of cash over the counter and was preparing it to be taken into a safe room at the rear.

“She noticed a woman with a baby was waiting to be served.

“The bag was placed down behind the counter, not in a public area of the shop.

“It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two she was serving and when she came back the money was gone.

“We’ll have to see if the insurance will cover it.

Another woman was spotted in the store at the time and Nick believes she may have been involved.

“Staff said she was just browsing the displays.

“She’s never come up to the counter and by the time we’ve found the money gone she’s no longer in the shop.

“It seems like this was an opportunist theft, it’s not planned.

“I just hope whoever took the money sees sense and owns up.”

The woman is described as of slim build, aged around 40, with mousey hair worn in a ponytail.

Nick, 34, who has been sub postmaster at Wesham for four years, warned bosses over the installation of open counters.

He said: “I said at the time when they put the counter in it wasn’t as secure.

“I was worried something like this could happen.”

Police confirmed they had been called to Wesham post office over the theft.

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference WA1703392