A COCKERMOUTH post box is set to be decorated to celebrate the release of a new collection of stamps themed on romantic poets.

Royal Mail has applied to Allerdale Council for permission to advertise the new stamps on its cast iron box on Main Street.

Only three post boxes in the United Kingdom are due to be decorated with quotes from poems and images. The others are in Edinburgh and Bristol.

Cockermouth was selected because it is the birthplace of poet William Wordsworth, who was born 250 years ago, on April 7, 1770.

Part of a Wordsworth poem will feature on one of the stamps, which will be released in April.

The plan is to decorate the post box for approximately three months.