A KNITTED crown has been placed on top of a Hampshire post box ahead of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

A talented yarn bomber has made a first-class delivery by attaching a purple and gold "topper" to the pillar box outside the aptly-named Coronation Parade Post Office in Hamble.

The eye-catching decoration is the talk of the village, with people queuing up to be photographed beside it.

But mystery surrounds the identity of the person responsible for brightening up the post box and putting a smile on people's faces.

Now postmistress Mitu Daga, who discovered it when she arrived for work, is urging them to come forward so they can be thanked and congratulated.

Daily Echo: The knitted crown outside the post office in Hamble.The knitted crown outside the post office in Hamble.

Mitu is asking customers to put a post on social media in a bid to help her track down the unknown knitter.

She said: "I would love to know who has created this - I want to give them a hug and say a big 'thank you'.

“The crown is fantastic and I’m not just saying that because it's outside my Post Office. It’s large, beautifully knitted and decorated with lots of different stones - it's brilliant.

“My customers love it.

"People are coming here with their children and grandchildren to have their photos taken next to it. This is bringing so much joy to the community.

"They keep asking who created it and I just tell them that I wish I knew."

Post box toppers are knitted or crocheted decorations that are fixed to the top of pillar boxes and come under the umbrella of yarnbombing.

Royal Mail often shares images of them on social media but says the openings for posting letters - and the door used to remove mail - must be kept clear.

Daily Echo: The Hamble post box painted gold during the 2012 London Olympics.The Hamble post box painted gold during the 2012 London Olympics.

In 2012 a post box in Hamble High Street was painted gold by Royal Mail in honour of Olympic cycling heroine Dani King.

The 21-year-old and her team-mates, Joanne Rowsell and Laura Trott, had just won gold in the women's cycling team pursuit event at the London Games.

Three years ago post offices in Southampton and other cities were painted blue to publicise the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

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