A “presumably stolen” Royal Mail trolley has been discovered in a stairwell in Norbiton's Cambridge Road estate, with hundreds of Christmas cards and letters strewn on the floor.

A man, who did not wish to be named, took photographs of the trolley and torn up mail scattered around it, describing it as a “heartless crime”.

The man claims he discovered the trolley while visiting a friend in the Brinkley block of the Cambridge Road Estate on Burritt Road at around midnight yesterday (December 18).

He said: “I discovered what was presumably a stolen postman's trolley with just hundreds of letters torn open and thrown about.

“The worst of it being the sheer number of Christmas cards that were there.

“It's just absolutely heartbreaking to think so many adults and children will think they've been forgotten or dismissed all because someone or a group of people wanted to make some quick cash.”

When contacted for comment, Royal Mail apologised for any inconvenienced caused and said it was working to resolve the problem.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "The safety and security of mail is of paramount importance to Royal Mail. We reported the theft of a trolley to police on 17th December.

"We can confirm that we have retrieved the trolley and are in the process of delivering all recovered mail to any impacted customers.

“The trolley was secured according to Royal Mail security guidelines at the time of the theft. The Royal Mail security team is working with the police to investigate the matter."

If you have any concerns about your mail, you can contact Royal Mail's customer service team on 03457 740 740.

The Met Police has been contacted for information.