Residents say they have been told by Royal Mail employees the post box won't be replaced
Members of a rural community have slammed those responsible for the theft of a Victorian post box - saying the crime has left already isolated residents needing to travel more than two miles to post a letter.
The post box in Bell Lake, near Camborne, was stolen on or around Friday, September 7 and residents claim to have been told by Royal Mail that there are no plans to replace it.
One of those living in the hamlet and who will be affected by the loss, John Holmes, was among the first to discovering it missing.
He said: “I walked down the road towards the end of last week to post a letter and it just wasn’t there.
“Everybody is upset and one or two people have been told by Royal Mail employees that it won’t be replaced. One lady has even said that she is going to start a petition.
“We are a remote community with no street lights, no mobile library service and no busses. Everything is being taken away and not replaced, they are just annoying things that make life more difficult for the people living here.
“Not everyone can drive and the nearest post box is now two miles away in Halgoss. It’s certainly not within walking distance, especially as a lot of people here live in the chalet park for over 60s, which is effectively a retirement place. Its loss will definitely be felt by the community.”
The community is at a loss
Mr Holmes says he suspects the post box was stolen with the intention of being sold on, with Victorian post boxes fetching up to £150 when sold online.
All that remains is the stump to which the post box used to be fixed.
Mr Holmes added: “There’s also the added factor of not knowing what has happened to the mail inside it. There could have been cheques, money and important documents and now none of it will be seen again.”
Royal Mail has been approached to see if there are plans to replace the stolen mail box and reinstate the service in Bell Lake.