Following the case of postman Roger Annies, who was suspended after informing people on his round that it's possible to opt-out of receiving unaddressed mail distributed by Royal Mail, the company has reminded postmen that they should deliver leaflets to households with a 'No Junk Mail' sticker on their door.

Knowing that a simple 'No Junk Mail' notice is not always enough to ward off unwanted items, Mr Annies, from Barry, South Wales, began delivering a self-made leaflet on his round to inform householders how they could evade unaddressed leaflets, officially known as 'door-to-door' items.

As a result of his actions Mr Annies is now suspended, on full pay, "pending further investigations following an alleged misconduct issue." Although Royal Mail does not want to make further comments about the case, it is no secret that unaddressed mail is a lucrative source of income for Royal Mail and that the company does not want other postmen to follow Mr Annies' example.

In its statement Royal Mail says that postmen should ignore any 'No Junk Mail' signs when delivering door-drops: "Customers can choose to opt out of Royal Mail's door-to-door service by contacting the Post Office. A note on the door saying 'No Junk Mail' or an unauthorised letter is not part of that process."

Royal Mail does not advertise the existence of its opt-out scheme and does not disclose how many households are currently registered with its Door-to-Door Opt-Out. Anecdotal evidence suggests the number might be around 1%.

To stop unaddressed mail distributed by Royal Mail you can send an e-mail to optout@royalmail.com or write to:

Door to Door Opt Outs
Royal Mail
Kingsmead House
Oxpens Road
OXFORD
OX1 1RX