Appeal after theft of Cambridgeshire villages' post boxes

Police are investigating the thefts of red Royal Mail post boxes from a number of villages in Cambridgeshire.

Post boxes have been removed from their poles in Haddenham, Soham, Queen Adelaide, Little Downham and Aldreth - all near Ely.

A post on a Haddenham Facebook page said it was unclear whether they "were being targeted for their contents or their scrap metal value".

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Police said the force was linking the thefts.

One of the post boxes, which had stood on the corner of Duck Lane and The Rampart in Haddenham appeared to have been sawn off, leaving the supporting pole exposed.

"We have seen a number of post box thefts over the past week or so across the county," police said.

"All of the crimes reported have been linked and are being look at as an emerging series.

"However, we urge members of the public to report any suspicious activity around post boxes to us."

In 2020, a spate of post box thefts were reported in Peterborough, while thefts in west Norfolk in 2022 appeared to be targeting post boxes that dated from George V's reign (1910-36).

A spokesman for Royal Mail, which has an estimated 115,000 post boxes across the UK, said: "We are aware of the theft of a number of post boxes in the area.

"All have been reported to the police for investigation."

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