Access Legal from Shoosmiths wants to hear from concerned postmasters who the Post Office claims have stolen or misappropriated money.

Many have been charged, some jailed and others have had to repay money following Post Office prosecutions, and more than 250 post offices have been forced to close.

Access Legal from Shoosmiths is considering a class action on behalf of those affected.

Civil litigation department head Amanda Glover said: "All the postmasters and postmistresses say they've done nothing wrong, and that it's all down to problems with the Post Office's accounting system, called Horizon.

"It was introduced to sub-post offices to provide first weekly, then monthly accounting, but didn't do a double entry, so it couldn't be checked regularly. Many users reported problems, and couldn't work out how losses were arising. When they called a helpline, many claimed the problems got worse.

"Customers would try to get money from the hole-in-the-wall, but although they didn't receive it, it later showed as having been taken from their account.

"A key issue is the fact the system couldn't be accessed unless postmasters confirmed they agreed with figures on a daily basis, which led to errors being accepted by postmasters just so that they could log on to the system.

"They all say they've not taken any money, while the Post Office says there's nothing wrong with Horizon, but it appears to record people using it when they are not even logged on, and one post office recorded a loss when it was closed."

Glover said some postmasters - most of them middle-aged and others whose first language is not English - are paying back 'missing' amounts to avoid prosecution. The most common amount is around £35,000.

Glover said: "Many panic because under employment clauses they have to pay back the money. Bank records and houses have been searched, but there's no evidence they've taken the money. Some people have been struggling for 18 months and are embarrassed to talk about it."

We want those who consider that they have been affected to come and tell us their story.

The Northampton meeting is on Friday 12 February, from 11am to 4pm, at Access Legal from Shoosmiths' offices at The Lakes, Northampton, NN4 7SH.

If you would like to attend, please register in advance via email at POClaims@access-legal.co.uk or call 03700 86 63 98.

• Phone
• Online
• Post