P.O. Box rip-off

Sir,
Recent changes have been implemented by the Department of Postal Services in connection with holders of P.O. Boxes. Box holders have been told that should mail not be collected after three months, it would be returned to the sender. I assume that the Post Office will open any mail that does not display a return address on the outside of the envelope or package, which is an infringement of privacy if ever I saw one. A box holder who may “like his mail to be kept in his P.O. Box for an additional period (more than three months) should pay a fee of £2 for each month or part of it”.

I fail to see the logic behind this other than the postal services charge something for nothing. What difference does it make if mail sits there for a period exceeding three months? Will paying £2 more create more space in the box? A box is a convenient and secure place to receive mail, especially for people who travel out of the country, and who may be away for a period of time. I think this new so-called regulation should be challenged by all who have a P.O. Box. I have written a letter of complaint to the department and urge all who read this and are affected to do the same.

D Florenzo, Larnaca

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.