The Government said last night it would examine the need for legislation to end criminal gangs abusing mailing houses after pressure from Pudsey MP Paul Truswell.

The abuse of mailing houses that provide accommodation addresses has opened a Pandora's Box of serious organised crime, according to the Labour MP.

Mr Truswell said the mail scam victims included one of his constituents who parted with more than £20,000.

He said abuse of the system has snowballed leading to serious organised crime, identity theft, tax evasion and fraud.

In a debate in the Commons, the Labour MP called for legislation, soon to be introduced in London, to be rolled out across the country.

It would force mail forwarding services to register their businesses, keep records and to "exercise due care in confirming the identities and contact details of those who use their services".

He said: "It seems superfluous to me to point out that the criminal fraternity are unlikely to restrict their activities to the boundaries of Greater London."

He said voluntary regulation has been tried but only two operators in the area have registered with West Yorkshire Trading Standards and those registering tended to be those already operating checks on their customers.

Consumer affairs minister Gareth Thomas said a series of meetings would be held to examine the extent of the problem and what needed to be done.