£90k Horizon hell forced me to quit

Ex-postmaster's tears after software caused fake cash shortfall

- SALLY HIND

A FORMER sub-postmaster has told how the stress of a £90,000 Horizon black hole forced him out of his long-running family business.

Scott Morrison watched helplessly as a shortfall flagged by the controversial Post Office IT system spiralled out of control over several months -keeping the burden a secret from his own family.

PO chiefs eventually wiped the huge discrepancy from the 57-year-old's books, but it was the final straw for the grandadof-one, from Shotts, Lanarkshire, who had already plugged several thousands pounds of shortfalls as he struggled to keep Craigneuk Post Office in Wishaw afloat.

He is the latest postmaster to speak to the Record about recent battles with Horizon, which is at the centre of a public inquiry.

Scott said: "I was frightened of losing everything, "When you're getting letters asking how you want to pay, and you keep getting them, it's really scary. I kept this from my wife. I kept it to myself until I couldn't take it anymore.

"It was about four months before it was rectified and that was only when I shut the door and closed the office.