Andy Murray postbox reinstated after crash

New lick of paint for tennis star tourist attraction knocked over by runaway car

Sir Andy Murray’s golden postbox in his home town of Dunblane was re-erected yesterday less than a day after it was knocked over by a runaway car – and given a new lick of paint to leave it looking as good as new.

The postbox on the Perthshire town’s High Street was painted in honour of his gold medal heroics in the 2012 London Olympics.

Witnesses told how a silver Mercedes rolled down the hill and knocked the postbox out of the ground at 7.50pm on Monday.

Police, who were called to the scene, said the female who had been driving the car was not inside when the “low speed collision” occurred.

A spokesman said the woman had suffered a minor injury but did not require medical attention.

It is thought she suffered the injury in pursuit of the runaway vehicle, which had rolled down a hill after the hand break failed.

Royal Mail engineers assessed the damage at 10pm on Monday and rolled the postbox into a safe position overnight. Mail was retrieved and the site cordoned off with cones and tape while the deep hole in the pavement was filled with rubble to prevent anyone falling in.

A team of workers arrived at around 2pm yesterday and used a crane on the back of a truck to lift the heavy iron object and return it to its position.

Murray’s grandmother Shirley Erskine, 85, who lives in Dunblane, said: “It’s very nice to know that it has been put back up, and so quickly. Thankfully nobody was seriously hurt so all’s well that ends well.”

Mrs Erskine also told how she had gone to inspect the damage after hearing about the accident and had chatted to workers, adding: “We popped down to have a look as soon as we heard – it must have made an awful clatter.

“The poor postbox though, after all this time, seven years it’s stood there without a scratch.

The postbox has become a major tourist attraction in Dunblane since it was unveiled in August 2012, after local hero Murray defeated Roger Federer in the men’s singles final at the London Olympics.

Thousands of fans have taken photographs, while Murray, his mother Judy and other members of his family have posed proudly with it in the past.

Dunblane butcher Graham Fleming, 54, whose home overlooks the postbox and who reported the incident to police, said: “There were teenagers standing around and bicycles lying on the ground, it looked as if they’d moved very quickly.

“It seems they were sitting on the bench next to the postbox so they were very lucky.”

Bystanders said the driver had parked outside the Co-Op, uphill from the postbox, before the empty vehicle rolled backwards.

We popped down to have a look as soon as we heard – it must have made an awful clatter. SHIRLEY ERSKINE (ANDY’S GRANNY)

Picture: PA. Workmen move the postbox after it was hit by the car.