A NEWLY installed postbox containing a day’s letters has been ripped from its mountings and dumped in what neighbours called a 'moronic act of vandalism'.

The cast iron pedestal type box was situated at the junction of Scott Street and Printers Fold in Lowerhouse, Burnley.

Royal Mail said vandals pulled the box from the pavement before dumping it on a car park at the nearby Lowerhouse reservoir, with letters still inside.

They added the mail inside the box was recovered and delivered as normal.

The post box was installed in June after residents campaigned for a postbox for the Rose Grove and Lowerhouse area after a Post Office in Padiham was closed Brian Parkinson, 71, who lives nearby said: “It was a minor victory to get the postbox and it was particularly useful for elderly people.

“It was only erected a few weeks ago. My only words for these people are that they’re mindless morons.

“I heard it was dumped by the river near the reservoir, it’s just a disgrace that a community facility can be destroyed like this.”

Royal Mail spokesperson Val Bodden said: “ We can confirm that one of our pedestal postboxes was reported stolen by the police and abandoned away from its location.

“We collected the postbox the same day, retrieved the mail inside and managed to despatch the mail the same day.

“We would urge anyone with information about this wanton theft to contact the police.

“We will be restoring the box to its original location as soon as possible and apologise to customers for the inconvenience.

The nearest postbox is around a mile away at the top of Cowley Crescent.