Postboxes in Roehampton have been sealed since Tuesday as a security precaution after a smash-and-grab raid on a van in which their keys were stolen.

Now locals could find it takes another week until they can use 11 pillar boxes in Roehampton High Street and Danebury Avenue again, but Post Office staff have not put up notices to explain the withdrawal of the services.

Staff at the Roehampton High Street office said the keys were stolen by a group of children on Tuesday afternoon.

When the postman victim realised what had happened, he emptied the area's postboxes to prevent thefts, and then sealed each slot to prevent anyone unwittingly posting letters that would not be collected.

Putney sorting office manager John Hammond it could take over a week to fit replacement locks, which had to be ordered and made.

He added that letters could be posted at local post offices, and that explanatory notices are not routinely put on boxes, but resident Kathy Keen complained: "I am 70, having to leg it up and down, and there's nothing to tell you what's happening."

May 30, 2003 10:30