ONE of East Lancashire's oldest surviving postboxes is to be covered by a new conservation policy designed to protect the historic red landmarks from becoming extinct.

The George VI pillar box at Top o'th' Lane Post Office, Brindle, will be preserved under the policy published by Royal Mail.

The company decided to act to save their oldest examples as part of 150th anniversary celebrations of the arrival of postboxes in the UK.

The policy includes giving the boxes a new lick of paint every three years and washing them regularly to ensure a smart appearance.

A spokesman said there were a number of Edwardian pillar boxes still in use throughout East Lancashire but the Top o'th' Lane box was among the oldest and most historic.

Local historian Jack Smith, of Croston, welcomed the new policy and said it was important for historic mail boxes to be preserved.

He said: "Mail boxes are very much a part of the British way of life.

"There are not many surviving examples of Edwardian boxes and I believe the last free Victorian box used to be at the bottom of St George's Street in Chorley.

"Unfortunately, it had become very corroded and the post office had to remove it about 10 years ago.

"It was a shame and we did campaign for it to be restored, but it had become so badly damaged that it was impossible to save."

The distinctive red Royal Mail postboxes have become much-cherished traditional features in British towns over the last 150 years and are considered to be a typical example of British life abroad.

Postboxes, introduced in 1852, were the brainchild of Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope, then a GPO official, who recognised that people needed more convenient places to post letters rather than trailing all the way to the nearest sorting office.

Designs over the years include a green and gold box in the 1860s, a blue airmail box during the 1930s and wartime livery of yellow gas-detecting paint with white paint for greater visibility during blackouts.