Fed-up families are appealing to the Royal Mail to replace their post box after it was stolen.

A thief removed the box from a telegraph pole just yards away from Sheila Walshaw's home in Redcar Road, Greengates.

But Mrs Walshaw only realised the post box had vanished when she went out to try to send a birthday card.

Now she and her neighbours have to walk half-a-mile and cross a busy road to send their mail from New Line post office.

Mrs Walshaw, whose husband James, 76, walks with the help of two sticks, said many people were now having difficulty.

She said: "The post box has been vandalised in the past but there haven't been any problems for a couple of years.

"There are old people's bungalows just round the corner at Robin Close. It's a long way to walk to New Line and people have to climb a hill to get back."

Ward councillor Anne Wallace (Lib Dem, Eccleshill), who took up the problem with Royal Mail, said: "Apparently it was removed with bolt-cutters. But the residents want it back as soon as possible. It was heavily used."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "The post box has been found damaged by the police with the letters removed. It is fortunately very unusual for the entire post box to be stolen.

"We no longer put post boxes on lamp posts but we are applying for planning permission to re-site one in the area."

l The Royal Mail was forced to suspend the use of street mail boxes in some parts of Bradford earlier this year after thieves stole 1,000 items of mail from the 'bag boxes' used to store mail for postal workers.