TRADING Standards officers are investigating thousands of postcards promising FM radios that carry a sting in the tail.

The junk mail is landing on doorsteps across the North and officials fear it could leave people out of pocket.

It has emerged that thousands of homes across the region have already received the postcards from Glide Delivery, based in London, which look like Royal Mail collection cards.

The cards tell the receiver they have an FM radio awaiting collection and must telephone a despatch number to arrange delivery.

Calls to the premium rate number cost £1.50 per minute, for approximately four minutes. Calls from mobiles are more costly.

Glide Delivery uses a post office box number in Ealing, west London.

Following complaints from consumers elsewhere in the country, Glide Delivery is under investigation by trading standards officials.

A spokesman for Ealing Council, in London, said Glide Delivery was operating as part of a bigger company known as Happy Valley Promotions, which has been investigated by ICSTIS, the premium rate call regulator.

Council trading standards officer Doug Love said: "Whilst what this company is doing may not be illegal, it is very mischievous and is making a substantial amount of money out of people. These type of companies make a lot of money out of premium rate lines and usually the 'prize' on offer will be worth much less than the cost of the calls."

Officers at Stockton Borough Council, along with colleagues in Hartlepool and Darlington, are urging residents to read the small print.

David Kitching, the council's trading and licensing manager, said: "My advice is that if you receive an unexpected notification of a prize or something similar then you must always check the small print. Unless you can verify the sender, then the best place for this type of unsolicited mail is in the bin."

Anyone worried about a similar item can check the ICSTIS website at www.icstis. org.uk, which gives details about companies that are operating premium rate telephone numbers