JUNK MAIL is spiralling out of control, according to the Green’s Party deputy George Perdikis, who said yesterday he had received a number of complaints from angry members of the public and had sent a letter to the Commissioner for Personal Details for assistance.

“The problem is not so much that they receive advertising leaflets,” said Perdikis. “The distressing fact is that these advertising companies slip the leaflets inside envelopes and address them to individuals. So they spend time opening envelopes only to find it is junk mail,” said Perdikis.

The Green Party leader told the Cyprus Mail that after receiving several complaints about the issue, he sent a letter to the Commissioner for Personal Details, Yioula Frangou, and is waiting for a reply.

“Some newspapers have said the Commissioner has replied to me; however, I have yet to receive her response,” Perdikis said.

But an official from the office said yesterday the practice was illegal.

Maria Michaelidou from the office of the Commissioner for Personal Details told the Cyprus Mail: “Our law states that advertising companies must have the written permission of the recipients before sending them junk mail addressed to their homes or offices, regardless of whether they are a customer or not,” said Michaelidou.

She added that if people had had enough of receiving junk mail they could get in touch with the advertising companies responsible and request that they remove them from their mailing list.

“If the company fails to respond and the junk mail continues to arrive at the recipient’s address then they can contact us here and we will speak to the advertising company,” said Michaelidou. If requests were ignored, further measures, including legal action, could then be taken.

Perdikis said he had no objection to advertisers pushing their products or services. “I don’t see why they cannot simply slip their leaflets as they are inside letterboxes without using people’s names and addresses.

“But what the advertising companies are doing is wrong and unfair to the recipients,” he said.

Perdikis has suggested that the political parties meet to discuss what can be done to put an end to the situation. “Our party suggests that a book be compiled of all adverts and that that be placed inside people’s letterboxes,” said Perdikis.

“This would solve the problem of people receiving dozens of loose adverts as they would all be in one thicker book.”