RESIDENTS have rallied round a local knitting group in Renfrewshire after its crown-themed "post box topper" to celebrate the King's Coronation was stolen.

Members of Crafty Friends were dismayed to discover on Saturday morning that their outdoor yarn display, placed on a post box in Houston, had disappeared.

Lorna Cairns, who is a member of Crafty Friends, said she had received photos of local children happily posing next to the post box topper before it was taken.

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She said: "The last sighting of the topper on the post box was around 10.30pm on Friday night.

"We have no idea where it has gone and we're disappointed it's gone after all the hard work that was put into it.

"It was well secured and it wasn't a windy night, so somebody has obviously taken a pair of scissors to it or something like that.

"We appreciate that it's not everyone's cup of tea but it wasn't doing any harm, they could have just walked by and ignored it."

We previously told how 12 members of Crafty Friends meet at the Carrick Centre in Houston several times a month to make the post box toppers, as well as enjoy a hot drink and a blether.

The group has put similar colourful creations on post boxes in Houston for previous festivities, such as Easter, Christmas and Halloween, over the past few years.

Lorna said the latest Coronation-themed topper had been in the planning stages for months, with several members spending a number of nights knitting and sewing the yarn display.

She added: "We've had lots of volunteers going out and having a look. 

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"The river is usually where the bikes get thrown and things, so we have had people looking in the river and lots of dog-walkers keeping their eyes open for us.

"We've never had any problems with this before and it would have been nice if the topper remained on the post box over the weekend until the Coronation was over."

If you have information about the whereabouts of the stolen topper, get in touch by emailing news@glasgowtimes.co.uk.