Gérard Brun, who invented the £69 (80 euros) device told Le Parisien that demand has been so high that he is now expanding production and may hire full-time staff to run the business.

The postbox is perfect for anyone too busy to stop by a bakery or rural villages that do not have a bakery.

Safe from any sticky fingers, the postbox comes with a lock to which only the homeowner and baker are given keys.

Mr Brun, 58, who came up with the idea six years ago, said: “I never expected it to be such a success.

“When I drive past a village and see my invention, I am proud”.

The inventor from Caisnes is not the only person to have benefited from his invention, as bread delivery services have been popping up around France.