Residents of a village in the north of Oxford are facing the prospect of their letter box being out of action until Christmas.

The post box on Oxford Road in Old Marston has been taped up since the end of April due to a broken lock.

But Royal Mail said that a replacement lock could take up to 25 weeks to source.

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The company said in a letter to the Parish Council: “I can confirm that, after making enquiries with the Collection Planning Manager, the box requires a new lock.

“However due to the box being of a rare type, finding a replacement lock is somewhat difficult to find.

“The manager has advised that if a new lock is not located in the next few weeks then the box will have to be replaced.

“The replacement process can take up to 25 weeks should it be required.”

But Councillor Peter Williams explained that Old Marston Parish Council had received several complaints from locals who were puzzled about the situation.

He said: “It is quite a well-used post-box.

“Initially it was thought that it had been vandalised, but the Parish Council made enquiries and we found out that the lock had broken.

“We have had several residents complain about the situation, particularly the elderly.

“If they can’t find a replacement lock then they should just crack on and find a replacement post box.”