TOWN councillors in Marlborough have found themselves enveloped in a row over who should open their mail.

Coun Marian Hannaford told the town council on Monday that she believed it was wrong that letters sent to councillors at the town council offices were being opened by staff.

Coun Hannaford, the chairman of the town council planning committee, said she had been advised it was against local government code of practice for anyone to open mail addressed to another person.

She was supported by Coun Hilary Cripps who said letters sent to councillors by members of the public could contain confidential information intended for the eyes of the particular councillor only.

Coun Cripps said a letter sent to her care of the council offices, after an article had appeared in the Gazette about her late father's war medals and which had nothing to do with council business, had been opened by staff.

Town clerk Graham Gittins said it was the normal practice for mail addressed to councillors to be opened by staff, always with two present, unless letters were marked private and confidential in which case they were placed unopened in the particular councillor's pigeonhole.