DOZENS of Selby residents face Christmas heartache after a thief made off with a post van containing parcels destined for local homes.

The thief struck in Brayton Lane at about 11.40am yesterday when the driver left the van unattended to deliver a package.

In the back of the Vauxhall Vivaro van were 60 parcels, which were due to be delivered to homes in Selby and Brayton.

The white van is similar in size to a Ford Transit, and had the words Anchor Self Hire written on the side. It had been hired by Royal Mail, and had set out from Selby sorting office.

Wendy Martin, a Royal Mail spokeswoman, said: "I can confirm that the van was stolen, and it contained about 60 parcels which were due for delivery to Ferndale Road, Westbourne Road, Parkways, Brackenhill Lane, and Courtneys.

"The matter was reported to police immediately. It was an opportunistic thing when the driver was out of the van."

Ms Martin said the parcels were mostly standard Royal Mail packages, but there were also a few Special Delivery items.

The registration number of the van is VU05 UMH. Anyone with information regarding the theft should phone North Yorkshire Police on 0845 6060247.

Anyone who thinks they may have lost a parcel in the theft should phone Royal Mail customer services staff on 0845 7740740

Updated: 09:25 Wednesday, December 21, 2005