FIVE postmen have been sacked following a probe into allegations of racial harassment and bully ing, a union has revealed.

The claims centre on Blackburn's Royal Mail sorting office.

And a further nine postal workers have been reprimanded as part of an investigation into the Canterbury Street depot.

Royal Mail bosses are facing a raft of disciplinary hearings as the Communication Workers Union said all 13 workers were appealing.

Last week, Christopher Eccles, a postman at the Blackburn sorting office, had his sacking upheld by a tribunal in Manchester.

Steve Joss, branch secretary of the Comm unication Workers' Union in East Lancashire, vowed to help fight the workers' cause at their appeals.

Royal Mail bosses said they had a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and thoroughly investigated allegations before taking the action.

Mr Eccles was dismissed for gross misconduct after the tribunal heard he mimicked the accents of Asian colleagues.

He was said he was having a laugh and did not mean to cause offence, but bosses said his conduct was unacceptable.

Mr Eccles' case prompted bosses to launch a probe into alleged racial harassment and bullying at the sorting office which resulted in action being taken against the 13 other staff.

Around 200 workers are based at the sorting office and an estimated 10 per cent are said to come from Asian backgrounds.

Mr Joss said strike action, which had been discussed in protest at what had happened to Mr Eccles, had been ruled out "for the time being".

He said: "We hope that the matter will be resolved in the near future as it has been going on for the last 10 months or so.

"We have to admit that we are deeply disappointed with the judgement in the case of Christopher Eccles.

"The investigation involving Mr Eccles was regarding a totally separate incident than the second investigation.

"Mr Eccles was the first to be dismissed then there were four others following the second investigation.

"There were nine who were dealt with using other disciplinary measures."

The industrial tribunal last week heard how bosses launched a wide-ranging inquiry into racial harassment and bullying after allegations emerged of Asian postmen being mimicked.

In the case of Mr Eccles a complaint came from a colleague Abdul Mussa, rather than the postman who was mimicked, Farid Patel, the tribunal was told.

Mr Mussa had previously complained about Mr Eccles' conduct in April 2006, after claiming he heard him mimicking another postman, Arifamed Mallu.

The tribunal heard that a number of other complaints had been made by Mr Mussa as part of the second disciplinary investigation.

No specific details were given about the second investigation, other than to say it concerned alleged racial harassment and bullying.

A Royal Mail spokesman said they could not comment on individual cases but added: "We have a zero tolerance approach towards bullying and harassment.

"We have a robust disciplinary process, agreed with the union, which is subject to appeal.

"In line with this policy five employees at Blackburn Delivery Office have been dismissed following harassment allegations which were thoroughly investigated."