More than 8.7million flyers were delivered by the company in the year following its privatisation . Royal Mail has stepped up the amount of junk mail it stuffs through our doors since it was sold off by the Government , new figures show . More than 8.7million flyers were delivered by the company in the year following its privatisation – sparking fears that it risks becoming a ‘ leaflet distributor ’ . In the 12 months after privatisation , postmen pushed almost 50,000 more leaflets and advertising letters through our doors every single day , compared to the previous year . It means almost 3.2bn items of ‘ unaddressed ’ junk mail were delivered in just one year – almost double the 1.7bn delivered annually five years ago . These figures do not even include the vast quantities of ‘ addressed ’ junk mail also delivered , which have the names of occupants on the envelope . The rise in unsolicited mail has proved lucrative for Royal Mail , which is struggling from increased competition in the parcels market and a fall in the number of ordinary letters being posted . Revenue from ‘ marketing mail ’ – addressed and unaddressed – has soared to £1.1bn a year , earning them £3million a day . Critics last night called for Royal Mail to reduce the amount of ‘ nuisance ’ junk mail it delivers or risk becoming a ‘ leaflet distributor ’ . Royal Mail admitted junk Mail had become an ‘ important component ’ of its business , and insisted many households found advertising flyers ‘ useful ’ . But much of unwanted junk mail is never opened and ends up being thrown straight into the bin – causing an environmental headache . While some households recycle takeaway menus and pamphlets , many tonnes of junk mail end up in landfill – costing councils tens of millions of pounds to dispose of . A spokesman for the Local Government Association said : ‘ Junk mail is a blight on the nation ’ s doormats . ‘ Not only is it a nuisance to pick up and throw away , it adds thousands of tonnes to the waste councils have to pick up creating additional costs for tax payers . ‘ Royal Mail and its direct marketing clients have to do far more to reduce the torrent of junk mail. ’ Robert Rijkhoff , of the Stop Junk Mail campaign , said marketing mail was ‘ the worst form of advertising ’ because it was foisted upon households without their consent . He said : ‘ Royal Mail needs to make money but , if they deliver more and more junk mail as a source of income , in the long term I am not sure it is a sustainable business . ‘ Royal Mail is delivering less and less letters . They are risking that , in time , they will become a leaflet distributor. ’ Critics claim that some junk mail contain scams sent by fraudsters from overseas . Critics said the company was running the risk of being labelled a 'leaflet distributor ' with fewer letters being posted every year . In 2011 , the National Fraud Authority claimed the Royal Mail logo was seen by some victims as a stamp of legitimacy , making the scammers appear more trustworthy . At the time , Mike Haley , director of the National Fraud Authority , Royal Mail and other delivery firms needed to ‘ understand the terrible consequences of delivery of this mail to some people ’ . Royal Mail said the rise in marketing mail was due to the improved British economy , as companies found they had more money to advertise their goods and services . A spokesman said : ‘ Marketing mail is mail like any other – it is our job to deliver the mail . Companies use direct mail because it has proven results . ‘ Many households find the information useful . Three in five people have acted in response to a piece of advertising mail in the last 12 months as a direct result of receiving door-to-door marketing material. ’ As people increasingly stop posting letters in favour of email and text messages , Royal Mail said marketing mail was an important source of income . It said profit from this junk mail was important to ensure the survival of the universal service – its obligation to deliver to every address in Britain , six days a week , for the same price . They added that revenue from marketing mail helped to ‘ keep UK stamp prices among the best value in Europe ’ . Despite this claim , first and second-class stamps will rise by a penny to 63p and 54p respectively on March 30 , sparking claims that loyal customers are being forced to prop up flagging revenue . The news sparked accusations from MPs that Royal Mail had taken the ‘ easy option ’ to raise stamp prices instead of fighting for new custom by improving its services . Adrian Bailey , chairman of the influential Business Select Committee , said Royal Mail must invest in new technology and focus on efficiency , rather than simply increasing prices to boost profits .
Almost 3.2billion items of 'unaddressed ' junk mail were delivered last year . Figures do not even include addressed leaflets that were also posted . Rise has proved lucrative for Royal Mail with revenue soaring to £1.1bn . But critics said the company risked being labelled 'leaflet distributor '