POSTAL bosses have agreed to publish customer complaint figures for our region, after coming under fire for attempting to stop The Press seeing them.

Last month, local MPs and industry watchdog Postwatch condemned Royal Mail for refusing to reveal how many complaints they received from the YO postal area in 2005/06.

We were able to reveal the extent of customer dissatisfaction, only after Postwatch supplied a copy of the figures.

But the authority has now relented, and published the 2005/2006 figures for each postcode area in the UK.

Figures had previously been posted on the authority's website each June, broken down by postcode area.

But when The Press asked for the latest figures earlier this summer, Royal Mail said it was considering a change in policy, claiming that the localised data was "commercially sensitive".

The move sparked criticism from York MP Hugh Bayley and his Selby counterpart John Grogan, who both pledged to raise the matter in Parliament. Postwatch also attacked the decision.

Mr Grogan welcomed Royal Mail's decision to publish the full figures again.

He said: "I am pleased that, no doubt thanks to the campaign by The Press, common sense has prevailed.

"Royal Mail is still a public service and I hope this episode will remind Royal Mail managers that in terms of providing information they should be open and accountable."

A Postwatch spokeswoman said: "Postwatch are happy that Royal Mail have published their complaints information, in line with the terms of their licence agreement, to enable customers to see ho w their postcode area is performing, and to compare year on year."

Last month, The Press revealed that the number of complaints received from the YO postal area had decreased by 11.9 per cent between 2004/05 and 2005/06, from 11,806 to 10,408.

However, complaints about lost mail rose by 5.4 per cent, to 4,375 and grievances about damage to mail and property also increased. Royal Mail spokesman Ben Cawley said: "The customer complaint figures for 2005/06, nationally and broken down by postcode area, were published on the Royal Mail website earlier this month in line with our licence."

York MP Hugh Bayley said he had tabled a Parliamentary Question after The Press's article last month, and was glad to hear the figures had now been published in full.