Royal Mail has delayed plans to print 'Delivered by Royal Mail' marks on mail items distributed by the company. It made the decision after the Direct Marketing Association made a formal complaint to Postcom.

A proposal to allow Royal Mail and other postal operators to intercept scam mail has failed to complete its passage through Parliament.

Royal Mail has announced it will start printing 'Delivered by Royal Mail' marks on all machinable mail items from September this year. The Direct Marketing Association is alarmed and concerned.

In a statement ahead of a BBC Panorama programme about junk mail and postal scams Royal Mail has said it does not recognise the term 'junk mail'. The company also said that it does all it can to root out scam mail.

Royal Mail is seeking a five-fold increase in the amount of unaddressed mail it delivers, according to the Daily Mail. The figure, which the Mail claims comes from a well-placed insider, is unrealistic, and almost certainly false.

The Metropolitan Police has intercepted a bulk delivery of scam mail. Royal Mail and Spring Global Mail, who have in the past been criticised for facilitating scams, helped with operation.

A Private Members' Bill aimed at giving postal operators the power to intercept scam mail has passed its first reading. Due to lack of parliamentary time the Consumer Protection (Postal Marketing) Bill stands little change of becoming law.

Postcomm has said it is "minded to accept Royal Mail's request for additional revenues". If approved, mail houses may face price increases of up to 12 per cent from April 2011.

Royal Mail has asked Postcomm's permission to increase its charges for delivering bulk mail by up to seven per cent above inflation. The company is currently making a loss on mail distributed on behalf of its competitors.

Charities are often charged multiple times for returned Freepost envelopes. The claim has been made by a charity called, appropriately, 'Through the Roof'.