The price of a second class stamp will go up by 4p to 91p and first-class stamps will increase by 10p to £1.80 from April 7, Royal Mail has announced.

Royal Mail said the rises reflect the continued increase in the cost of delivery as letter volumes fall and the number of addresses increases.

Richard Travers, managing director of letters at Royal Mail, said: “We always consider price changes very carefully, balancing affordability with the rising cost of delivering mail.

“On average, UK adults now spend just £6.50 each year on stamps and there are 70% fewer letters sent than 20 years ago.

“In the meantime, the number of addresses we deliver to has increased by four million to 32 million addresses across the UK.

“As the UK’s designated postal Universal Service Provider, we’re proud to be the only company to deliver a one-price-goes-anywhere service, six days a week, from St Ives to Stirling, but there is a high cost associated with doing this.”