The last post for Christmas appears to have come very early for residents of a Monmouthshire town.

A familiar red box on a pole which had served people living in the Triangle area of Chepstow for generations went missing a few months ago.

And there’s no sign of its return.

One baffled and annoyed 84-year-old resident, who uses a walker, said: “The post box is a lifeline for me, especially at Christmas. It’s just a very short walk from where I live. It’s very handy for all of us around here, many are elderly and can’t get out much.”

The widow regularly used the post box when it was sited on Maple Avenue, at the junction with Sycamore Avenue.

She said: “I use the letter box to send cards and letters to relatives and friends. Its disappearance is all a bit of a mystery really and very annoying.

“I believe the box was knocked askew in a collision. It was on its side on the grass verge and then it just disappeared altogether.

“We all thought it’d been stolen and that it would be replaced as it’s well used but nothing has happened. It’s now quite a few months gone by and there’s no sign of a replacement. It’s a real loss to us all.”

A fellow octogenarian and regular user of the box said: “It’s a nuisance that the post box has gone. I now either have to get a lift or hire a taxi to make a special trip just to post letters.

“The cost of a stamp is already outrageous enough without adding on these extra costs. We’ve been robbed of the convenience and the opportunity of being able to post anything close to our homes.

“We feel that losing the post box is just another example of the elderly being overlooked, ignored and generally snubbed and blighted. Letters and cards may well be considered old-fashioned by some who bury their heads in the ‘phones but for us oldies it’s a vital and intensely personal form of communication.

“We want our post box back and we want it back in time for us to catch the last post for Christmas."

The Royal Mail has been approached for a comment.