One of the first to spot it was gone was Rufforth resident Sandie Dunleavy.
“We were out walking the dog first thing in the morning and noticed the red plate – the front of the box – on the ground.
“Then we looked at where it should be and realised it had gone.”
She said she was surprised as she had used the postbox – opposite Maythorpe – twice the day before to post Christmas items.
‘We take it seriously’
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “It is believed the incident occurred overnight between 9pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday.
“All that was left was the post that the postbox was attached to and the front hatch which only postal workers can access.
“The resident said they were reporting the matter to Royal Mail.
“They also alerted people in the neighbourhood using a community social media page in case any sensitive or personal post had fallen into the wrong hands and urgent action had to be taken with banks or other agencies to flag-up the issue.
“Officers are awaiting contact from Royal Mail to progress the investigation.”
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The postbox was opposite Maythorpe in Rufforth. Photograph © Google Street View
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We can confirm the theft of a postbox in Rufforth. We have informed the police who are dealing with the matter.
“Royal Mail has over 115,000 postboxes across the UK. The theft of postboxes is relatively rare.
“We take the issue very seriously, and work closely with law enforcement agencies to prevent the unlawful removal of postboxes.
“In the meantime, customers are able to use nearby postboxes in the area or drop off their mail at any Post Office branch.”
Police told Sandie: “If anyone that you know has posted something that might have a cheque or something like that in it they should contact their bank.”
She added: “It’s going to be very disappointing for people who thought, ‘oh good, I’ve caught the last post, my relative or friend will be really pleased to get a Christmas card’.
“It’s not the best news this particular Christmas is it?”