The Royal Mail apologies after accidentally charging Brentwood & Ongar residents for General Election leaflets

The Royal Mail has issued an apology after residents were asked to pay for Conservative election mail that should have been for free.

A total of 32 campaign leaflets for Conservative candidate for Brentwood and Ongar Alex Burghart were posted to homes across the constituency.

It is unknown how the leaflets ended up in the general mailing system, though only two letters were delivered that were paid upon collection.

Those people have since been reimbursed.

A letter from the Royal Mail sent to Mr Burghart said: “As you know the candidates’ mail has no postage mark and arrives at our delivery offices via a discrete network by passing our sorting machinery.

“For reasons that we are looking into 32 of your candidates’ mail found their way into our sorting machinery along with all the other items of mail being checked for the correct postage; your mail was then automatically surcharged with recipients of this mail being sent a message saying that they have mail to collect requiring a payment (as is the normal process for mail with no postage).

“When your team made us aware of the issue, we were able to identify that there were 32 items in total, 12 on hand in the office, 18 where payment had been refused, these 30 items have been delivered this afternoon.

“The two remaining, where customers paid the surcharge will be reimbursed and receive an apology from us.

“Once again I can only apologise that this is a rare mistake in the delivery of candidates’ mail, please be assured we do understand its importance within the democratic process.”