TRADING standards officers are looking into complaints from Malvern businesses over a 'misleading' letter being circulated.

Advanced Motorcycle Couriers and the Safe-Way School of Motoring are two of the companies to have received letters from a company des-cribed as the Data Protection Agency.

The letters state that the companies need to register under the Data Protection Act, in order to use the Data Protection Register, but do not come from the official agency, which does not send out letters.

The letters ask for a fee of £95 for registration, when normally registration costs £35.

Any company that regularly uses a database of names and addresses and other personal information needs to register.

But companies such as the Safe-Way School of Motoring do not use such a database and have no need to register.

Co-owner Michael Chris-todoulo ignored the letter he received, but said: "I am worried that other small businesses will feel obliged to pay, as the letter does look official.

"Most of the driving schools in Worcestershire seem to have had these letters and some have even been threatened with court action if they do not pay it."

Graham Rowberry, an enforcement officer from Worcester-shire County Council trading standards department, said: "There is a company, or a number of companies operating under different names, sending out these letters.

"But because they are actually registering companies on the data protection register, it is difficult to do anything."

He added: "They are basically charging the extra £60 for their service, which isn't illegal."

A notice on the official Data Protection website states that injunctions have been put on a number of companies sending the letters, under the Control of Misleading Advertisment Regulations.

It adds: "There is no connection between these businesses and the Information Comm-issioners Office."

Anyone who has received a similar letter should call Trading Standards on 01905 765394.