A VILLAGE has been cut off from the Royal Mail network after thieves made off with a Victorian post box.

Asthall Leigh in West Oxfordshire has been without its 19th century post box for more than three months after it was pulled out of a wall and stolen in April.

The box, which is understood to be worth in the region of £800 on the open market, is to be replaced by a more common Edwardian box.

Nicholas Field-Johnson, the county councillor for Asthall Leigh, raised concerns that criminals were targeting these specific post boxes to sell on for a high price.

The councillor has been disappointed by the length of time taken to find a replacement.

He said: “There is a gang that’s been going around stealing these because there’s a strong market for them in the UK and Eastern Europe.

“They’re quite expensive – plus they’re more portable than the old telephone boxes.

“We’ve been going back and forth with Royal Mail and they’ve said they will replace it with an Edwardian one, which are much more common.”

“It is causing a bit of consternation among people in the village as it has dragged on a lot longer than we expected.”

Police have not responded to requests for comment and it is unclear exactly how the box was stolen, though Mr Field-Johnson believes a group used a 4x4 and rope to force the box free.

Royal Mail, which has 115,000 post boxes around the country, has said the box will be replaced ‘as soon as possible’ and urged those with any information about the crime to contact police.

Among collectors, the most valuable are Victorian free-standing pillar boxes, which can go for more than £5,000.

Royal Mail used to auction off post boxes that were decommissioned once they were old, worn out or no longer needed.

This practice stopped in 2003, which it is said prompted a rise in post box thefts across the country.