Sacked postman Kevin Tunstall was celebrating today after an industrial tribunal ruled he had been unfairly dismissed.

The 41-year-old, who had delivered letters in Abingdon for more than 12 years before losing his job in February, has told colleagues he now plans to get back on his rounds as soon as possible.

The tribunal raised concerns over the investigation which followed Mr Tunstall's dismissal.

His dismissal in February, over the alleged non-delivery of a test letter, sparked two one-day strikes by colleagues based at the Abingdon delivery office in Ock Street. A third strike planned last month was only called off at the 11th-hour when the Oxfordshire branch of the Communication Workers Union struck a last minute deal guaranteeing Mr Tunstall could have his job back if the decision went his way.

Kevin Duffy, the CWU's area delivery representative for Oxfordshire, said: "It is very good news. Kevin has always been a popular postman and he always made it clear he wanted his job back. "There will be a lot of people delighted with this news."

He said there was bound to still be a certain amount of resentment among colleagues about the ordeal he has been put through but stressed that no further industrial action was on the cards.

The CWU will now start negotiating on Mr Tunstall's behalf in respect of compensation for lost earnings.

A delivery driver based in Oxford, who was also sacked for the same reason, is due to have his case heard at an industrial tribunal tomorrow - and two postmen sacked in east Oxford will have their cases heard on September 21.

In a statement, the Royal Mail said the tribunal was satisfied the company believed Mr Tunstall was guilty of wilful delay of the mail.

It acknowledged, though, that the tribunal had also raised concerns over the subsequent investigation.

Spokesman Paula Elwood said: "I don't think they are saying we must completely overhaul our investigations procedure. They have appreciated we were faced with a difficult situation."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.