Wrong Postbox Painted Gold

Royal Mail have bemused residents of a market town by painting a postbox gold in honour of Olympic gold medal winner Peter Charles - despite it being four miles from where he lives.

The postbox in Alton, Hampshire, was painted gold after Charles won his honour in the Olympic equestrian event on Monday along with Scott Brash, Nick Skelton and Ben Maher.

Bemused residents in the market town were pleased with the gold box but pointed out Charles, 52, is from the village of Bentworth.

Royal Mail is sticking to its guns though, insisting it had painted the right postbox because it claimed Alton was the nearest town to where the Olympian lives.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: ''We have painted a post box gold in Alton in honour of Peter Charles. It has created a lot of excitement and a deep sense of pride among local people.

''We hope that people in and around Alton can join in, in celebrating Peter's remarkable achievement.''

Earlier the company said it was trying to pick a town for the gold box that most identified with the winner.