Man caught adding a golden touch to Royal Mail post box in Belvedere (From News Shopper)
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Man caught adding a golden touch to Royal Mail post box in Belvedere
4:14pm Thursday 9th August 2012 in Bexley Exclusive By Alan Woods
The golden post box, in Station Road, Belvedere.
A MAN was caught trying to deliver the Olympic spirit to Belvedere with his very own golden touch.
The gold-fingered 38-year-old was caught red-handed by police officers in Station Road at 2:50am on Wednesday (August 8) giving a red Royal Mail pillar box a lick of paint.
Bexley Police’s response team officers first approached the man when they saw him behind the post box, on the corner of Station Road and Picardy Road.
He was found to be holding a paint brush and a roller and had a white plastic bucket on the ground, half-filled with gold paint.
A tub of Hammerite gold paint was found in his van nearby.
The police officers arrested the man and during police interview, he said: “I’m sorry for what I was doing.
“It was meant to be a bit of fun and part of the Olympic fever.”
Today, the post box remains half gold and half red, as the man was unable to complete the job he started before he was detained by the police.
Officers estimated damage to the post box would cost Royal Mail approximately £300 but the man was released the following day with a caution.
Royal Mail’s patriotic gold post boxes have certainly caused a stir since Team GB began revelling in Olympic success at London 2012.
The postal service has painted one traditional red pillar box in bright gold paint in the home town of each gold medal winning athlete.
In Sheffield, the hometown of heptathlon superstar Jess Ennis, graffiti was scrawled on the shimmering beacon of success within days of its makeover.
Is the gold post box in Belvedere your work of art? Or do you know who the painter is?
Call the newsroom on 01689 885726 or email awoods@london.newsquest.co.uk
Comments(16)
Hk
says...
10:36am Fri 10 Aug 12
cookster
says...
10:48am Fri 10 Aug 12
Martin Southgate
says...
11:03am Fri 10 Aug 12
cookster wrote:Dear cookster: Sounds like he would enjoy that.
Maybe we can go round and paint his car gold - it's only a bit of fun.
PaulErith
says...
11:04am Fri 10 Aug 12
Hk wrote:Would you feel the same if I came round and painted your house in a colour that I think would look good? Presumably as long as it had nothing offensive, then it would just be a bit of fun.
Oh please! What on earth is the harm in it. Its not grafitti, its not offensive, its just something that's been painted. There are no nasty words or pictures on the post box. I personally think that they should have let him finish it. Nothing wrong with gold post boxes and at the end of the day what harm is it doing to anybody!
People can't just go round doing what they like!
Biccie
says...
9:13pm Fri 10 Aug 12
colint
says...
7:46am Sat 11 Aug 12
CaptainJustice
says...
10:13am Sat 11 Aug 12
danielbelvedere
says...
12:15am Sun 12 Aug 12
handymanchris
says...
1:14am Sun 12 Aug 12
justjackuk
says...
7:47am Sun 12 Aug 12
Biccie wrote:hahaha!!! ... Biccie you are right, that building is disgusting! .. its going to fade and look even worse! .. Hopefully this guy will have his paint brush and white bucket handy!! lol..
Don't know what the fuss is about... someone should be arrested for painting a whole building gold by Sidcup Station and they've got away with it scott free!!!!
PaulErith
says...
10:40am Sun 12 Aug 12
Virtual-Monster
says...
9:57am Mon 13 Aug 12
bobbi beauty
says...
10:10am Tue 14 Aug 12
the wall
says...
11:30am Tue 14 Aug 12
bobbi beauty wrote:Union Flag. It's only a Union Jack when flown from a Jack Staff.
should have painted it red white and blue union jack style lol
Don't you BNP fanbois know anything.
This is not the first post box painted by the public:
A man has been arrested after painting a Hampshire Royal Mail post box gold in honour of Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie.
Rob Smith, 51, said he painted the post box in Lymington, where the gold medallist lives, in the early hours.
He said he was upset Royal Mail had announced it would only paint a post box gold in Cornwall, where Ainslie grew up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-england-ham
pshire-19227277
PaulErith
says...
12:19pm Tue 14 Aug 12
Virtual-Monster wrote:Good point. He should have been made to pay for the paint, and then spend the time painting it as his punishment.
Why wasn't he made to repaint the post box red? Simples!
PaulErith says...
8:26am Fri 10 Aug 12