WHEN a Huddersfield couple got a card through the door from the Royal Mail saying a letter was waiting for them at a sorting office they thought it must be something important.

The stamp was 16p short and Judith and Jeffrey Booth began to think it must be photographs from a wedding they attended in Shropshire last month.

They live in Grange Moor which has a Wakefield post code so Jeffrey had to drive all the way to the main sorting office in Denby Dale Road in Wakefield to pick up the surprise.

But he also had to pay a £1 handling fee on top of the 16p before Royal Mail staff would hand it over.

He carefully opened the second class letter – but instead of images of a happy couple on their wedding day it turned out to be a newsletter from the Tory party introducing constituents to the new Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Dewsbury, Kevin Hollinrake.

The couple were not pleased to see his smiling face.

The newsletter talked about his delight at being chosen to represent the area, but Judith, 58, said: “It was a complete waste of time, effort and money. These people are supposed to be the brains of the country.

“We thought it must be something important, but it wasn’t. We think other people have had the same problem and this could cause a real concern to people who are elderly. Have some gone on bus trips all the way to Wakefield to pick up these letters?’’

Pat Craven, manager for the Conservatives’ Calderdale and Kirklees Campaign Centre based in Brighouse, said most of the newsletters had been hand-delivered, but it seemed like a volunteer had posted them out to people living in Grange Moor.

“We are investigating what has happened,’’ she said. “But it looks like someone has taken it upon themselves to send these out through the post.’’

She said it may be wrong size envelopes were used which means they had fallen foul of the Royal Mail’s recently-introduced pricing structure.

“We are not sure at this stage how many have been sent out,’’ said Mrs Craven. “Now people have complained we are taking their names and will work out the recompense.’’

Any other recipients who have been charged postage are advised to contact the Huddersfield Conservative Association at 01484 462799