A HAMPSHIRE postman has been given more than £4,000 in compensation after being pricked by a hypodermic needle that could have been infected with Aids.

But Tony Harvey today branded the payout an "insult" because of the anguish he has suffered not knowing if he had developed the fatal disease.

The father-of-five, who lives in Eastleigh, said: "It goes no way to compensating me for the suffering that I have gone through.

"I feel so angry about this that I cannot put into words how I feel."

Mr Harvey's nightmare began nearly three years ago while he was sorting mail at the giant Royal Mail Centre, near Southampton International Airport.

The accident happened in August 1998 after he discovered that two packets were in a letter collection bag.

It was while he was sorting these from the rest of the mail that a hypodermic needle, which was loose in a mail bag, got stuck in his right hand.

It jabbed into him, and punctured his skin.

Mr Harvey, 45, who was wearing gloves, said: "It broke the skin and became embedded in my right hand about a quarter of an inch below my right thumb."

He suffered depression while he waited for the results of HIV and hepatitis tests. Eventually he was given the all-clear.

But Mr Harvey, who is still a postal worker, said: "I had two years of blood tests and a year of legal wrangling.

"I also had inflammation of my joints.

"I had mood swings and it has caused me and my family great anxiety.

"And it was ages before I got any counselling."

Mr Harvey had expert evidence from a psychologist that his mood and sleep disturbance and anxiety about contracting illnesses were linked to the needle accident which he had suffered.

Mr Harvey was disgusted when he was told that the offer from his Post Office employers was only £4,350.

He said: "Of that amount £2,078 was for loss of earnings.

So that means I have only got £2,272 for the injury and all the suffering I had."

Mr Harvey believes it's a paltry amount compared with the recent huge sums that have been paid out to workers in the public sector who have suffered from various stress-related illnesses.

One Southampton man was even awarded tens of thousands of pounds for living in fear of developing an industrial disease.

Mr Harvey was represented in his fight for compensation by the Communication Work-ers Union.

It told him the claim could not be taken further.

A union spokesman would not comment on the offer but added: "We took up the case and as far as we know the advice was to accept the situation."

Mr Harvey said: "It seems that I can take it or leave it but if I was a millionaire and could afford to take action, I could go all the way."

A spokesman for Consignia - the new name for the Post Office - said: "As this case is ongoing we cannot make any comment about it at this stage.

"This is a very rare incident but we do issue our staff with armoured gloves in our sorting office to give them protection."

After the incident in 1998, the Royal Mail issued collection drivers with special kits containing equipment to remove needles safely for incineration.

At the time, the Daily Echo also revealed how Hampshire postmen were having their lives put at risk by heroin addicts.

They were dumping used hypodermic needles in postboxes.