Royal Mail said the postbox had become "dangerous" for the staff who emptied it.
The red postbox at the post office on 31 Grange Road in Jarrow, was painted gold on Saturday.
Protective gloves are issued to postal workers emptying a Somerset postbox used by drug addicts to dump needles.
Much of that is business mail that never plops through a traditional postbox.
Great Britain's youngest gold medallist of the Paralympic Games has been honoured with a gold postbox in his home town.
Meanwhile, Royal Mail has painted itself into something of a corner with another pledge - to paint a postbox gold in each of the medallists' home towns.
South Yorkshire police said vandals had defaced winning heptathlete Jessica Ennis's gold postbox in Barkers Pool, Sheffield, on Monday night, by spraying it with graffiti saying "Go Jess".
"I can't wait to see my gold postbox, " said Applegate.
BBC: Jessica-Jane Applegate: Paralympic gold comes to Belton
The Paralympian's golden performance was cheered on by hundreds of people at Belton's Railway Tavern pub - and a nearby postbox was painted gold on Monday to mark the achievement.
BBC: Jessica-Jane Applegate: Paralympic gold comes to Belton
Two bombs were sent to Neil Lennon, one was sent to former MSP Trish Godman and one, addressed to Lennon's lawyer Paul McBride QC, was discovered at a postbox in Kilwinning in Ayrshire.
"The golden postbox is a lovely reminder of an unforgettable year and I'm thrilled it's in my home town of Aldridge as the support I've had from all over the borough has been amazing, " she said.
BBC: Ellie Simmonds's gold postbox put under night spotlight
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