FRIENDS and relatives of soldiers who have gone out to the Middle East are being overcharged to send them parcels of treats, it has been claimed.

A Malvern couple are among those joining protests made to the Ministry of Defence over the newly increased charges.

Terry Ford, of Clerkenwell Crescent, says the Post Office has almost doubled the cost of sending parcels to the troops abroad.

Until recently, letter and parcels sent to British Forces Posted Overseas (BFPO) were charged at domestic rates.

However, when Mary Ford went to a Post Office in Worcester last week to send a parcel to their son, she was told she would now have to pay European rates, which are almost double.

"They were very apologetic about it but they said it had been handed down from on high and there was nothing they could do," said Mr Ford.

Their son, Jon-Paul Ford, is a sergeant in the Royal Signals and has served in the Army for 10 years. He is now in the Gulf, attached to the 4th Armoured Brigade.

"They have little enough as it is out there apart from their rations, so these comfort parcels with things like chocolate bars are very important," said Mr Ford.

He said the parcels are shipped abroad by the Royal Air Force in any case, so there is no need for the Post Office to increase the cost of postage.

"I think it's petty and pathetic, mean and narrow-minded. Let us hope whichever bureaucrats introduced that little patriotic idea dine well and sleep safely and comfortably," said Mr Ford.

West Worcestershire MP Sir Michael Spicer said: "I am pursuing this matter with the Postal Services Commission. We should be doing everything we can to support our troops."

An MoD spokesman said the department had received a number of inquiries about the issue.

She said that sending a two-kilogram parcel, the top weight allowance, through BFPO cost £6.89. A similar parcel through Royal Mail would cost £4.30, but would take much longer, and through Parcelforce would cost £17.89.

"It's not an expensive service," she said.