A postal crisis is developing in Tooting after a bungling postman lost the keys to a dozen post boxes in Tooting.

Each box has a unique key but they are kept on one single key ring, and it was this vital item that has disappeared.

The blunder means all of the post boxes in the SW17 area have been blocked off by Royal Mail, preventing any more mail being posted.

It is understood the keys in question went missing more than two weeks ago.

Royal Mail are desperately trying to cut new ones cut for each box and they have not been able to provide a timescale for how long this will take.

Frustrated residents, some of whom walked from street to street desperately trying to find a post box, took to Twitter and Facebook to vent their fury.

Panicked Royal Mail staff had to dash around the area, breaking into the post boxes and then blocking them up again to prevent more post being dropped.

One exasperated Twitter user named Tooting Baby said: "Does anyone at Royal Mail actually give a crap that Tooting post boxes have been blocked up for weeks now because a buffoon lost the keys?"

Royal Mail spokeswoman Sally Hopkins said: "We can confirm that a small number of postboxes in the Tooting area were sealed after a set of collection keys went missing.

"The boxes were cleared of mail before they were sealed so no items were left inside them.

"Royal Mail apologises to its customers in Tooting for any inconvenience this may have caused.

"We are working to change the locks and reopen the boxes as quickly as possible.

"In the meantime, customers can use other postboxes in the area or of course drop their mail off at any Post Office branch."

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