A POSTBOX was set on fire in a suspected arson attack in Harwood in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Firefighters from Bolton North fire station were called to Bradshaw Sub Post Office in Lea Gate at 1.38am, after a passer-by spotted smoke coming from the box.

They used a hose reel to tackle the blaze, and were on the scene for just over an hour.

The manager of the post office, who asked not to be named, said it was still possible to smell smoke coming from the box hours after the fire was put out.

He said: “I have been here for over five years and this has never happened before. You don’t expect it, especially in this area

“When the letters were taken out some have been completely burnt and destroyed, others were damp.

“It looks like it was a firework.”

A spokesman from the fire service said they believed the fire had ‘suspicious origins’ and had been started deliberately, and notified Royal Mail and the police.

Any mail inside the box will be examined by Royal Mail investigators and they will look to return it to the original senders.