Dutch postal service PostNL has been given the green light to increase prices by up to 14.2% next year by the consumer and markets authority ACM.

That means the price of a stamp for the Netherlands could go up from 83 cents to 94 cents and a small parcel will be almost a euro more expensive. PostNL will publish its new fees later in the year.

The ACM is charged with approving price rises to make sure that consumers do not pay too much but that PostNL covers its costs.

PostNL usually puts up its fees slightly below the maximum approved by the ACM.