The Spanish Post Office, Correos, has suspended its collection service from all courts in the Valencia Region because of an accumulated ‘astronomical’ debt which is owed to Correos by the regional government.

The Spanish Post Office, Correos, has suspended its collection service from all courts in the Valencia Region because of an accumulated ‘astronomical’ debt which is owed to Correos by the regional government.

The exact amount owed isn’t known; an El País source put its at more than 10 million €, while the CCOO unions said it was more than 30 million €.

The order to suspend the service to the hundreds of Valencia courts was sent through to local Correos offices on Monday and it’s understood it will not be resumed until the Valencia government approves a payment plan to settle its debt.

A recent order from the Valencia High Court of Justice instructed the courts that they must send their notifications by post rather than personal delivery. The UGT union said this means that more than 90% of court communications are now sent through the post, and has warned that suspending the service will bring the region’s justice system to a standstill.

A meeting of the Valencia government which is due to take place this Friday is expected to discuss a payment plan in an attempt to resolve the issue.