I fill in my electoral role each year and always tick the opt out box. It would appear that my council say they did not recieve it this year and as a result have sold last years data and I now appear on the edited register and am trying to find out if they can legally sell my data without my consent like this?

I made a foolish mistake; I renewed my network railcard without ticking the 3 boxes to prevent: 1) Railcard information and offers; 2) Train company offers; 3) Third party offers of goods and services. How, please, can I rectify my mistake? I believe I am on the Mailing Preference register, but am not sure (how can I check this?).

Some time ago I fell for an on-line scam about 'quality knives' from a company called Jean-Patrique. Subsequently, I also started receiving unsolicited e-mails and catalogues. Aside from the ones from Jean-Patrique themselves I also received one from Time magazine, and one from the RNLI. I contacted both senders to (a) find out where they got my details from and (b) get removed from their mailing list. In both cases my details had been provided by Jean-Patrique, and in both cases I asked to be removed from their mailing list.

I am very careful to ALWAYS opt-out of any 'special offers' when I buy stuff. I believe I opted out from Jean-Patrique, too. But regardless I accepted that maybe I made a mistake and requested that Jean-Patrique remove me from their mailing list, and that they also stop giving my details to other companies. I still have the emails to prove it. Recently, however, I've started getting catalogues from Jean-Patrique again. How can I combat this? I could ask them again - but they've already ignored me at least once (probably twice because they likely ignored my initial opt-out).

I have signed up to OnePoll Cashback and since then have been received weekly emails about new deals, etc. There is no unsubscribe link on the email, and when I have emailed them to ask how to unsubscribe, these emails have been ignored. The email address from which I received these emails is alerts@onepollcashback.com. How can I get them to stop sending these emails? I don't even think there's an option to de-register from the site.

Is it possible to request a sender stop sending mail under the Data Protection Act if the mail is addressed to "The Occupier"?

My wife walked out on me nearly nine months ago. She requested a redirection of her mail, which worked well for six months. However, for the past two months I get, on average, two items of mail addressed to her each day. My wife refuses to reinstate the redirection service. I contact the senders and ask them to stop and they are generally co-operative. However the unwanted mail keeps coming. It has been suggested to me that these businesses are getting her name and address from an agency who sell on details on request but I have no way of knowing how to find out who's doing it. When I get told I can't stop mail that isn't actually addressed to me I say she has died recently. That does the trick in the short term but does not solve the distribution of details issue. Can you help?

Is a Data Protection Notice also applicable to cold (telephone) calling? Over the last fortnight, I have been pestered daily by British Gas, despite a previous email request to remove my phone number and a reply that it had been done.

I have recently moved house, and had my mail redirected. I need junk mail to stop at my old address. How do I do this?

I keep getting unwanted mail order catalogues and I wish to stop receiving them. How can I remove my name from the mailing lists of these companies? I have never ordered or bought anything from the companies that are sending me catalogues.

I made the mistake of buying a product from Healthy Living through the letterbox catalogue several months ago. The company has either sold or passed on my address to at least three other firms who now send me unwanted junk mail up to four times per month. What's even more annoying is that, in passing on my address, the original company must have incorrectly typed my house number, with the result that (when the postman does not know me personally) the junk mail is delivered to a neighbour's letterbox. Obviously my neighbour is annoyed about it. I've tried returning unopened envelopes (a) with a sticker saying STOP sending mail (b) with a sticker to the Post Office saying 'Return to sender - unknown at this address'. I've also emailed the Healthy Living company to express my annoyance and to tell them I want to hear nothing more from them. Result: three packages today (from Healthy Living, Housewares Direct and Foot Friendly). What legal steps would you now advise me to take?