Postage row over publicity mailing

Angry resident Anne Collison, of Cyprus Grove, Haxby, said her husband, Peter, had received a card from the Post Office asking him to pick up a piece of mail.

When he arrived at Birch Park Sorting Office in Huntington, he was given a brown envelope with a second-class stamp attached and asked to pay the 64 pence postage that was owed on the letter.

The envelope was handwritten and did not indicate it had come from a company so he paid the money.

He found it contained literature advertising a touring Opera North production and a letter from Richard Mantle, general director of Opera North.

Mrs Collison said she rang Mr Mantle in Leeds and he apologised. When his marketing department rang back, they said the mail had come from the Grand Opera House in York. She said she had asked for a refund and an apology in writing and had not yet received them.

In the meantime she had received another card addressed to her. She telephoned the sorting office and when she realised it was another similar letter she asked them to destroy it for her.

She said: "I know several of our neighbours in Haxby have received similar letters. I think it's a disgrace."

She said many people had made similar journeys to the sorting office to pick up the mail.

Lizzie Richards, general manager of the Grand Opera House, apologised and said the 800 people who had received the letters would be sent letters of apology and refunds early this week.

She said Opera North had asked for the Opera House mailing list, but because of data protection laws, the Opera House could not pass this on, so instead agreed to post out the Opera North mailing for the opera group.

She said: "There wasn't enough postage on the envelopes and Opera North has been inundated with phone calls."

She said the Opera House scales had been inaccurate and it had now purchased new scales.

Updated: 11:42 Monday, September 17, 2001