Britain’s world-famous red postboxes are being stolen by criminals who flog them abroad for thousands of pounds.
The metal boxes are being ripped from lampposts and telegraph poles while others have been chiselled out of brick walls. In some cases, entire pillar boxes have been uprooted from the ground. Police believe cars or trucks have been used to drag them from their foundations.
Many antique boxes are being sold over the internet as souvenirs to collectors abroad, especially in the US. Royal Mail has been hit by a wave of thefts, especially in rural areas, in recent months.
One insider said: “This is not an opportunist thing people do on the way home from the pub. You would need heavy cutting equipment to take these boxes away.”
Postbox prices have boomed in recent years after Royal Mail stopped auctioning off old stock in 2003.Experts say boxes dating back to Queen Victoria’s reign and bearing the VR mark can fetch up to £5,000 in America. George V boxes dating back to 1910 are worth around £1,000 while more modern ones can go for hundreds of pounds.
Crooks stole 10 boxes from three villages near Hythe, Kent, in one recent incident. Other thefts have been reported in Sussex, Lincolnshire and Anglesey, North Wales. Many end up on eBay where dozens were being advertised last week.
Royal Mail said: “These old boxes are of great historical interest and we are keen to get them back. We always try to replace stolen boxes.”
