Royal Mail sacks containing documents with people's personal details were left on the streets for a week, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

A dozen sacks containing documents with customers bank details, names, addresses and other personal details, were left outside the former Post Office in Courtland Road, Rose Hill, Oxford.

The bags were only removed in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a concerned passer-by, Mike Anderson, called the police.

Mr Anderson, 68, of Outram Road, said he became aware of the bags when he drove past the site of the former Post Office on Monday evening and saw people rummaging through them.

He said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw what was in them.

"Everyone knows about identity theft these days. I just can't believe they would leave mail out in the street like that.

"I saw people going through the bags so who knows what was taken. I can't believe they would be so careless."

Anna Dalal, owner of the off licence which rented out part of her premises to the former Post Office, admitted she placed the bags in the street a week earlier after Royal Mail did not finish clearing out the premises.

She said after the Post Office closed last month, Royal Mail came to clear it out but a lot of documents were left behind.

Mrs Dalal said: "Royal Mail came and collected most of the things that had been in the Post Office and said they would come back for the rest.

"Weeks went by and we needed to clear the space for our shop, so we decided to bag up what was left and put it outside. We contacted Royal Mail every day, but they did nothing."

In the end Mr Anderson contacted the police, who came and collected the bags at 12.05am on Tuesday, within 15 minutes of receiving his call.

Police spokesman Toby Shergold said: "We can confirm we collected the sacks and dropped them off at the sorting office. We would like to thank Mr Anderson for contacting us and his responsible attitude."

Royal Mail has said it was concerned to hear that the sacks were left.

Spokesman Susan Darkin, said: "We have very robust procedures for the security of confidential material that covers all eventualities, including the closure and vacation of post office premises.

"The audit team that dealt with the Rose Hill premises is confident all procedures were followed to the letter and that the Post Office was fully cleared."

However Mrs Dalal took photos of the bags outside the store.

The Royal Mail spokesman said none of the audit team that dealt with the closure of the Post Office had spoken to Mrs Dalal since the site was vacated.