A number of readers have expressed dismay and surprise at the way a highly visible Maltapost box that was the subject of vandalism has not been cleaned up, while street art that was carried out by respected French artist C215 in October was removed overnight.

The postbox, which is situated in a high-traffic area close to the University roundabout in Msida, lost its trademark red sheen to scribbles, spray paint and torn posters and has been described by students who use the area frequently as "yet another ugly eyesore", lending a decidedly shabby air to the residential spot.

Student and artiste Leander John Schembri commented that it was "ridiculous the way street art was not appreciated or respected in Malta, with works by an artist who is celebrated on an international scale, like C215, removed and possibly destroyed".

"On the other hand, no-one bothered to clean up this particular box and it has been like that for weeks now. I wish that Maltapost were as conscientous about keeping its postboxes free of graffiti that has no artistic merit as it was about removing genuine artwork."

C215 had courted controversy when he visited Malta last year and left a number of works inspired by chiaroscuro artist Caravaggio on various post and electricity boxes round Valletta and Sliema. His works had created a divide in Malta, welcomed by the majority of the artistic community and endorsed by the Arts Council Malta and Valletta mayor Alexei Dingli  but mistaken for vandalism by those unfamiliar with the artistic and commercial value of street art.

After leaving Malta, C215 was invited to show his works at two exhibitions in Paris, held at the Musée des Arts et Métiers and the Berthéas Gallery respectively. The artist has also exhibited in galleries in New York, Belgium, London, Rome, Barcelona and Milan among others. In his home country his achievements were celebrated by the French post office French post-office with a stamp depicting one of his artworks and featuring the face of his daughter.

In Malta, most of the art works left by C215 on post boxes were removed immediately without any explanation. Questions as to whether the artworks were painted over and destroyed or whether the post boxes were simply swapped, with the art still intact and conserved in some private location, remained unanswered by Maltapost at the time.