POLICE have launched an investigation after a Hermes depot worker allegedly stole £10,000 worth of deliveries -- by having them posted to himself and pals.

The agency worker apparently grabbed the parcels off the delivery belt and used a colleague's credentials to print off new address labels.

The parcels were then posted to him, his friends or family, and he even sold items on his Facebook page, it is claimed.

READ MORE: Hermes removes agency worker after alleged £10,000 delivery theft

Bosses became suspicious in mid-December. A two-week investigation uncovered CCTV, which showed the man changing the addresses on Dyson, Superdry and Next parcels, it is alleged.

An email from furious bosses to other staff revealed "at least £10,000 of our customers parcels have been flogged and might not be recovered".

The alleged incident involved an agency employee at Hermes Parcelnet depot in Bridgwater

READ MORE: Hermes deliveries of online goods that have not been received

An insider said: "It is gutting, considering all the hard work 90% of the workers in the depot have done over the last year in particular.

“One of the worst parts about it is that a lot of the parcels would have been Christmas presents.

“It is not a nice thing to do at any time, but worse at Christmas, especially this Christmas.

“People will have missed out on presents because of him, and others will be battling our customer services and the companies they bought from to get their money back."

The investigation was sparked when systems flagged numerous address changes to managers just before Christmas.

READ MORE: WATCH: Shocking footage of delivery driver 'chucking' parcels into van outside Highbridge store

Hermes workers usually only need to print labels to replace the originals, if packaging is damaged, it is understood.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said: "I can confirm we've received a report of theft.

"No-one has been arrested at this time. Enquiries are ongoing."

Hermes Parcelnet have yet to respond to a request for comment.