Knitted seagull stolen from postbox on Blackwell, Darlington

Residents living in the Blackwell area of Darlington are used to their red Royal Mail box being anything but ordinary – as it commonly dons a themed, hand-knit topper.

The most recent creation from the town’s yarn bombers has a Cornish theme – with a Cornish pasty, a Cornish flag and a picnic blanket with a Cornish tratan design.

Footage of the creation. (Image: CONTRIBUTOR) The design orginally included a knitted seagull – presumably becaus the birds are a common sight in the county’s coastal towns.

The reason for the Cornish theme is unknown, but the inspiration may have come from Darlington postie Nikki Gaynor who set off on a 400 mile charity walk to Cornwall for suicide awareness a few days ago.

However, the seagull centerpiece has gone missing – and its creators have responded by putting up a sign threatening the thief with footage of its disappearance.

The notice reads: “Dear Seagull Thief, a lot of effort goes into creating the toppers for this post box and brings great joy to our community. I hope stealing part of one was worth it.

The sign on the letterbox. (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

“If you look across to Farr Holme you can see there is a camera recording and unless the seagull is returned, the footage will be sent to the police and posted on Facebook!”

Residents of Farr Holme, a street in the Blackwell area, all chipped in money to get a high quality camera monitoring the entrance to their cul-de-sac. The post box just happens to be in the frame.

Reacting to the sign, one resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “This is disgraceful. It’s something which brings joy to residents, so for someone to steal the seagull is really not on.

“Shame on them.”

As of today (August 20), the knitted bird has still not been returned and the warning sign remains in place.