20 August 2006 - The Observer today revealed that each month on average eight pieces of junk mail are posted to a dead person in Britain.
Around 584,000 people die in the UK every year. On average, 80 pieces of junk mail are sent out to each of these 584,000 people. Mailing the deceased is the biggest complaint received by the Data Protection Registrar.
The Bereavement Register (TBR) is keen to put a stop to this. On its website the TBR writes: "Obviously these mailing will not reach the person they were intended for; instead they will be the cause of unnecessary additional grief to the relatives and friends of the recently deceased. Mailing the deceased is not just annoying; it is distressing and highly offensive to the bereaved."
However, according to Mark Roy, who set up the TBR after his father died five years ago, a quarter of the direct mailing industry has not signed up to the register. Consequently, many grieving families are continuing to receive junk mail addressed to loved ones who have died.
In an interview with thisismoney.co.uk, Mr Roy said: "In the past 12 months, 74% of direct-mailing companies have used the register, but not everyone is signing up.
"Some companies argue they have mailing targets to meet so they continue to mail everyone on their list, even though they know some may be dead".
The Bereavement Register's aim is to reduce the mail sent to people who have died by ensuring that names of people who have died are removed from databases and mailing lists. The TBR website is at www.the-bereavement-register.org.uk.