WHETHER it is through the letterbox or email, or by phone, the number of unwanted communications seem to be on the increase.

The intrusion is at the least irritating, but for some it has been more distressing. At least emails can be blocked, but the forceful messages sent in correspondence inviting deals on mortgages, loans, holidays and winning cash might sound harmless and something you can easily discard, but we know that many people have fallen foul of those bogus individuals and companies who pedal junk.

Endless, seemingly unstoppable, the flow of communication that most of us see as interference is surely an infringement of our rights.

Isn't it time the Government put a stop to the activities of people, some of whom have acted with criminal intent?

We are reminded that junk, in the form of household rubbish, is the subject of controls. Rubbish has become an important political issue and yet the perpetrators of junk mail seem to escape regulation.

For those who can assert themselves, the problem is resolved by throwing away unwanted mail, blocking emails and bringing a smooth-sounding telephone sales voice to an abrupt conclusion, but for the vulnerable it can be more difficult when the promise can mean a changing lifestyle.

Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe, Durham.