Derbyshire Police seek vandal who torched crochet topper on Royal Mail postbox

The box on Asker Lane was left blackened after someone seemingly took issue with a woollen ‘topper’ depicting a woodland scene, sometime overnight between Friday and Saturday, April 12-13.

The charred remains of the crocheted craftwork dismayed residents who have come to appreciate the cheerful additions to their street scene, with the toppers regularly changing to reflect the season or world events.

One fan, Tracy Fudge, said: “Over recent months there has been a Christmas topper, a valentines topper, a world peace topper and most recently a tree topper.

“They must take this person hours of work, are a delight to see and they are often commented upon on local social media sites.”

Indeed, news of the destruction provoked hundreds of comments in neighbourhood online forums.

Among them, Christine Clark said: “It’s disgusting why oh why destroy such a beautiful thing that was put there to brighten up peoples lives.”

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Constabulary said: “We received a report at just before 11.40am on Saturday 13 April that a knitted post box topper had been damaged on Asker Lane.

“We would like to hear from any witnesses or anyone who may have any information which could help with enquiries. You can contact us on via non-emergency channels with reference 24000216700.”

At this stage, the extent of the damage is unclear – the box may be restored with a coat of paint or replaced – but so far there is no indication that the postal service will be affected.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “We were made aware of this incident on Saturday. All mail was removed, intact and without damage. It has been reported to our properties and facilities team who’ll be visiting [on Monday, April 15] and carrying out an assessment.”

Anyone able to assist the police with their enquiries should contact the force by dialling 101, filling out the form at derbyshire.police.uk or sending a private message to @derbyshireconstabulary on Facebook or @DerPolContact on Twitter/X.

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