Not a job for Postman Pat: Locals confused as postbox appears 10ft in the air by a motorway bridge

Motorists have been left confused after a mystery Royal Mail letterbox appeared suspended 10ft (3m) in the air - on the side of a MOTORWAY bridge.

Commuters first saw the post box above a busy main road in Telford, Shropshire, as they travelled to work.

The bright red letterbox, which has baffled residents and postmen alike, is built into the concrete wall where the M54 crosses the A442.

Locals have been wondering how the postbox was installed next to a busy dual carriageway without anybody noticing, and Royal Mail bosses have no idea how it got there.

Student Adam Washbrook, 17, said he did a double-take when he first saw it.

He said: "I was walking past and it caught my eye. "I couldn't believe it, how on Earth did they even get it up there?"

Another passing motorist added: "I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. I had to go back and check and it is a realistic letterbox stuck on to the concrete structure somehow.

"Unless the Royal Mail has gone off its collective rocker - you would need to be 10ft tall to post anything - it must some sort of prank. Not even Peter Crouch could reach that.

"Or maybe it's a reference to their rising share prices."

[Wet letter day! Mystery postbox appears on the side of a bridge]

Villagers in Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire, got a similar surprise in September this year when a letter box was attached to a river bridge.

The letterbox was suspended 1m above the water level of the River Thames and could only be accessed by boat.