Waste reduction officers at Oxfordshire County Council are helping residents to tackle junk mail.

They have set up a hotline to advise residents on how to remove their details from databases.

During the past 10 years, junk mail in Britain has increased from 1.5 billion to 3.7 billion letters.

Householders receive almost five items of junk mail a week.

A junk mail solution pack can also be obtained by calling the junk mail hotline 01865 816070.

County council waste reduction officer Fay Dashper said: "Junk mail seems to be one of those things people hate with a passion.

"It is not acceptable that almost half of our post is junk mail, and we intend to help Oxfordshire's residents stop receiving it.

"All people have to do is leave their names on the hotline and we will send them a solution pack.

"We can send details to people explaining how to stop cold-call telephone calls, junk e-mails and junk faxes."

Anne Purse, the council's executive member for waste, added: "It is not only Oxfordshire's residents that are phoning the hotline, but people from other councils who want to duplicate the success of our scheme."