POST boxes stolen after they were cut from walls are in the process of being replaced.

In September, three Victorian post boxes were stolen from Causey Hill, Beech Hill and Maidens Walk, in Hexham, in an unusual crime spree. Attempts to remove a fourth structure were unsuccessful.

Royal Mail confirmed it had started to replace the missing post boxes – although the box stolen from Beech Hill will need to be relocated as it was originally built into the wall of a house. The company said it hoped the other two boxes would be back in position in the next few days.

The news has been well received by Northumberland county councillor for Hexham West, Derek Kennedy, who said he had constantly lobbied Royal Mail for action to be taken.

He said: “It has taken five months of badgering Royal Mail to make the replacements, and at last we are seeing some movement.

“I am pleased one has been put in place already and the second one is about to be replaced, because that is great. It’s understandable that the one placed in a private wall needs to be repositioned.

“I have been disappointed with how long it has taken Royal Mail to get to this position of replacing them and I think, realistically, it should have been sorted within two months. For a lot of people, particularly older people, they used the post boxes a lot and they would have to go far to find another one.”