RED-FACED Royal Mail bosses apologised today after wrongly telling 15 postal workers they were being made redundant.

Many of the staff went straight home when they were told - before managers realised the embarrassing gaffe had been made.

They had to send out a union official and a manager to frantically round up the staff from their homes and get them back to work.

First-class mail delivery in some parts of Blackburn was disrupted as a result.

The incorrect announcement was made at a meeting of 200 staff at the Canterbury Street delivery office on Thursday morning.

Some 17 workers, made up of postmen and women, were handed letters telling them they were losing their jobs.

The management actually wanted to cut two temporary-contract jobs.

Tony Humphrys, a Blackburn councillor and union official, said: "The news went down like a lead balloon.

"After the meeting we realised there had been a mistake so we went to their homes to let them know their jobs were safe.

"Everyone who got a letter was understandably upset and one man had stormed out of the meeting."

Today, a spokesman for the Royal Mail apologised and said it was as a result of confusion over the imminent removal of the second-class post.

He added: "A meeting was held to go through some of the planning for the introduction of single delivery which represents a major change to the way we work.

"Part of this entailed explaining that some temporary contracts would not be renewed.

"However, it was quickly realised that the number of temporary staff affected was fewer than first thought and managers apologised for the error and did everything possible to make sure staff had the correct information.

"The meeting went on longer than planned and, as a result, some mail was delayed yesterday."

Two of the postmen wrongly made redundant contacted the Lancashire Evening Telegraph before they had heard it was a mistake.

One fumed: "Last week, the managers were telling us they were taking on more staff then, right out of the blue, 17 people were given a week's notice.

"We have not been given any explanation by the management. It is no way to treat workers in this day and age."

Another said: "We were called to a meeting to discuss new delivery procedures and told 17 were going to be finished, which quite a few of us reacted badly to.

"One man even walked out because he was so upset. Some of the First Class mail delivery was disrupted thanks to the meeting. The news of redundancies had thrown us all."