A DEFIANT travel agent is determined to ensure troops serving in Afghanistan get a special surprise this Christmas despite a Government ban on sending unsolicited mail.

Each month Keith Pike, who runs Highway Travel in Ongar High Street, sends out dozens of shoeboxes full of tinned food, books, toiletries and other items donated by the public.

Mr Pike, 58, began sending boxes two years ago but was encouraged to step up his efforts when his 32-year-old son – a serving soldier – was sent to Camp Bastion, and told his father even basic items were in short supply.

However, new Ministry of Defence (MoD) regulations mean anyone sending parcels must address them to a particular solider, otherwise they will remain in the UK.

He said: “I get letter after letter from soldiers saying how important getting a parcel is, it brings a tear to my eye.

“They don’t just go to one person, they get stuck in the middle of the tent and five to ten of them share everything out.

“If you’re 18 or 19 years old and the Army is the only family you’ve got, imagine how much it means to get a parcel with some food in, or some razor blades or toothpaste, basic things that they don’t have out there.

“I’ve sent out well over 600 parcels so far this year and we’ll keep doing it over Christmas and beyond. The morale boost they get from it is incredible.”

Under MoD guidelines, the British Forces Postal Service says the extra workload created by unsolicited mail puts delivery staff in war zones at risk.

However, Mr Pike described the situation as “totally out of order” and put it down to a lack of investment instead.

He added: “I’ve been getting round that by putting in notes to ask if they can send me the names of some of them in each unit.

“But can you imagine if you’re a little old lady scraping together a few things to send to the troops, and you send this box but it just ends up in a warehouse somewhere over here?”