Tonne of undelivered letters and parcels found in German postman's basement

The 27-year-old man is being investigated for alleged embezzlement

Letters piled up at the letter sorting center of German logistics giant Deutsche Post in Cologne, western Germany. (AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands of letters weighing at least a tonne have been found in a German postman’s basement.

The stockpile was found by chance after the 27-year-old man moved out of the rented house in Cologne, when his former landlady went to investigate a broken water pipe in the basement.

She was shocked to find around a hundred boxes and official yellow Deutsche Post crate piled high was unopened letters and parcels, Der Spiegel reported.

A spokesperson for Cologne Police said the post was mostly addressed to recipients in the city of Mainz – more than 100 miles away – where the suspect worked as a postman until September.

The unnamed man is being investigated for alleged embezzlement and breach of post regulations and confidentiality, SWR Fernsehen reported.

The letters, dating from June to September this year, are being dried out and sent onwards.

It is not the first time a postman has been found hoarding undelivered mail.

A US Postal Service employee was prosecuted last year for stashing accumulating a stash of 40,000 letters and parcels, which also weighed around one tonne.

The items dated back to 2005 and were discovered in his car, locker and family home in New York.