THE Royal Mail is ensuring the glorious memory of Mo Farah’s double Olympic triumph never fades by giving his gold postbox a permanent paint job.

The postbox at 477 London Road got a golden makeover last summer after the former Isleworth and Syon School student swept to victory in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at London 2012.

Few of those watching will forget the startled look on the Somali-born athlete’s face as he crossed the finish line on ‘Super Saturday’ for the first part of his historic double.

But last week, just under 11 months after that famous evening, eyebrows were raised when boards went up around the postbox, near Isleworth station. Had the memorial been vandalised or were postal chiefs returning it to the more traditional red, wondered worried residents.

Their fears were laid to rest this week as the Royal Mail revealed the postbox was getting a permanent golden coating and a plaque explaining the history behind its splendid sheen.

A spokesman for the organisation said: "Last year we painted 110 of our red postboxes gold to celebrate the fantastic achievements of British gold medallists at London 2012. All our gold post boxes are receiving a permanent coat of gold paint and will include a plaque commemorating the athlete’s achievement.

"In London Road, Isleworth we have stripped down the box in preparation for its permanent gold coating."

Mo Farah was persuaded to swap football for athletics by his old PE teacher Alan Watkinson at Feltham Community College, where he also studied.

The 30-year-old, who now lives in the US, returned to winning ways at the European Team Championships on Saturday.