Sir, – I write in support of the campaign, Keep the Post Public, which aims to stop the partial sale of Royal Mail.

If this sell-off, guaranteeing ongoing profits to a private, probably Dutch, company (therefore effectively subsidised by the taxpayer) goes ahead, it would ultimately mean the end of what we value so much, a service owned by ourselves that guarantees a delivery every day from Monday to Saturday and at the same price, regardless of where we live.

The Post Office currently makes a profit, in contrast with countries such as Holland and Germany, with their privatised services, where the companies running the service are currently making huge losses (despite charging more and, in the case of the latter, only delivering twice a week in some parts of the country).

Necessary modernisation, in the form of more efficient machinery, can be undertaken by investing money raised through cheaper, public borrowing and paying back the pension investment that successive Tory and New Labour governments failed to make some years ago.

This so-called “holiday”, amounting to a huge shortfall measured in billions, is currently being paid back from revenue, leaving little over for investment.

Also, very wrongly, private companies have been licensed to cherry-pick some of the most profitable business, thus providing unfair competition and reducing Post Office income.

The public are massively against any privatisation, with just 3pc indicating approval for investment by a foreign company.

If you are against the sell-off, then please sign the e-petition on www.petitions.number10.

gov.uk/Royal-Mail-Sale/ and/or write to your MP and Gordon Brown.

JOHN SEVERS Hastings Avenue, Durham City.