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A historic post box dating back more than 70 years has been knocked to the ground by a van driver who ‘got out to look then drove off’. The iconic red Royal Mail post box on Greenside Lane in Droylsden, Tameside, was left on its side after being shunted out of place on Monday morning (April 25).
Leah Rowbotham watched the post box come down while she was at the nearby Peggies Kitchen café, at around 9am. She told the Manchester Evening News the structure was hit by a delivery van driver who fled the scene.
“He went to reverse off the pavement and to be honest he had some speed considering he was on a pavement right near a school at peak school time – and obviously enough to knock it right out the ground,” said Leah. “He got out to have a look and then jumped back in the van and drove off.
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“It’s a priority post box and could cause some issues for the locals.” Featuring the initials ‘GR’ – meaning George Rex or King George – the post b dates back to before the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, which began in 1952.
Barriers have since been placed next to the post box while it remains out of position, with one person describing it as the ‘leaning tower of Droylsden’ on the Droylsden Residents and Crimewatch Facebook group. Royal Mail says the post box should be fixed over the next fortnight.
A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “We will be repairing this post box, which was damaged in a road traffic incident on Monday, April 25, as soon as possible. We expect to have completed this repair by the end of next week.
“We apologise to customers for any inconvenience experienced while this post box is out of use. Customers can find out about the nearest available post boxes on our website, at royalmail.com/services-near-you ”
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