A set of new stamps have been launched by Royal Mail that feature mythical creatures. The stamps include a fire breathing dragon, a giant carrying a bolder, a grey unicorn, a mermaid and a pixie riding a snail. They have been designed by artist Dave McKean and novelist Neil Gaiman. The aim of the new stamps was to bring together some of the well known characters from ancient folklore and legend. Pictured are two of the designs for the 1st class stamps.

Royal Mail has launched a tamper proof stamp which should stop people pealing off old stamps and reusing them. The problem whilst it might seem minor costs Royal Mail tens of thousands of pounds every year. Although stamps are franked when they go through the sorting office, the markings on them are not always noticeable and often stamps with little markings on them are peeled off and used again. The new stamps, however, should make it impossible to reuse them. They have two oblong strips on either side of the stamp so that when the stamp is peeled off the strips are left behind. This leaves a useless stamp with two holes in it which should now be unusable.

Ryanair has recently revealed that it made a £145.9m loss in the year to March. The loss was partly caused by a 59% rise in its fuel bill. The loss compares with a profit of £336.8m in the previous year. Despite the loss the Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said that he hopes to see a recovery in the current year as fuel costs are expected to be lower. Following the news Ryanair shares fell by 6%.

Postal workers in London have voted for strike action in a protest over jobs and conditions. The Communication Workers Union has said that industrial action has been backed by 9-1 by its members. Dates for strike action have not yet been announced.

Thousands of tube workers are due to strike in two separate disputes over pay and proposed job losses. The vote by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will mean that workers will begin a 48 hour strike on the 9th of June starting at 1859. The strike is likely to bring most of the tube network to a standstill. RMT members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action with 2,810 and 488 against. The strike comes as a five year pay deal offered by London Underground has been rejected as unacceptable. The RMT is also opposed to TFL's planned efficiency savings package which the union has said will lead to redundancies.

This article is worth a look if you are looking to save a bit of money when you travel. It points out a number of fees that you should look out for and tells you ways that you can avoid paying them. For example booking online can often save you booking fees that you would to pay if you booked over the phone. If you are not picky about where you sit on the plane you can often avoid paying a surcharge which can be anything from $6 to $349 whilst packing just one bag can save you money on charges for checked luggage. Other tips include what to look out for when booking a hotel, often those additional charges you are not expecting can really add up. You can check out the rest of the article here.

Monday the 25th of May is a Bank Holiday in the UK. There are no postal deliveries or collections on this day. Any letters sent after 5pm on Friday 22nd of May will be posted on the next available working day which is Tuesday the 23rd of May.

According to this article many UK resorts are charging higher prices for breaks during the summer holidays. Research has shown that UK resorts put a premium on breaks taking during school holidays with families paying up to 65% more at these times. Whilst foreign resorts also increase prices at these time by as much as 25 to 40%, UK resorts impose higher increases. In the research carried out by Abbey Credit Cards a family of four would pay £560 to stay at Butlins from July 13 to the 20th but this would increase to £921 for a week in August. A holiday at Centerparcs would increase from £1,000 in July to £1,450 in August, a rise of 45%. In comparison a self catering in holiday in the Malaga region of Spain would cost £614 for flights and accommodation during mid-July but goes up to £644 for a week in the middle of August. It seems families wanting a cheaper holiday might be better off going abroad.