Police appeal for help after thieves steal post box and mail

Thieves have stolen a Royal Mail post box and the mail inside it from near the Tesco supermarket in Lerwick.

The police have yet to trace the missing letters or the red box, which was removed from its pole mountings next to a bus stop on the main South Road sometime between noon on Sunday, when it was last emptied, and 8.30am on Monday.

Mail theft in Shetland is rare and stealing post boxes is unheard of. The amount of mail missing will depend on the length of time that had passed between the last collection and the time the box was removed.

Anyone who posted mail in the box which might be among the missing post is advised to contact Royal Mail customer services for assistance on 08457 740740.

A spokeswoman for Royal Mail said post box thefts were thankfully “relatively rare” in Scotland. She said a replacement box had already been put in place. The police are looking for help with their inquiries.