FOR the mysterious gang of street artists wielding their paintbrushes under the cover of darkness, it was a first-class piece of work.

However, Royal Mail chiefs in Norwich were less than impressed when they discovered that scores of iconic red letterboxes had been repainted in a spectrum of colours.

Thanks to the guerrilla rebranding, a property hotspot known locally as the “golden triangle” now boasts pillar boxes in blue, yellow and, in one particularly affluent district, gold.

In another neighbourhood a 3ft question mark was painted on the pavement near a mailbox.

The postal service was unhappy about the estimated £1,000 bill to return the postboxes to their traditional hue, but residents seemed quite pleased with the new splash of colour on their streets.

One resident suggested that the prank could have been the work of undergraduates from the University of East Anglia, who have recently returned for a new term. “There are quite a few students living in the area in rented houses and it wouldn’t surprise me if they’d painted the post boxes as a bit of a prank,” he said.

“Whoever it is had done a pretty thorough job.

“I don’t care what colour the postboxes are they are as long as they deliver the mail on time.”

Another resident, David Kent, 56, said: “For what I suppose has to be counted as vandalism, they’re actually looking quite smart. The pleasing thing is that they’ve done a good job, not covering up the information or making a mess of the pavement. It’s certainly not an eyesore.

“These postboxes were looking a bit shabby. Not only do they look a lot smarter now, but no doubt Royal Mail will quickly be coming out to repaint them.”

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “This very regrettable criminal damage and costs a considerable amount of money to put right. Fortunately this doesn’t happen very often and we’re working with the police to catch those responsible.”

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

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