TRADERS in Thirsk hope a post delivery pilot does not hit business.

The town has been chosen to try out a scheme aimed at cutting costs and boosting efficiency for Royal Mail. But the leader of the local chamber of trade fears there might be an adverse spin-off.

"I don't think it will do much for local firms," said Don Moore. "But we will just have to wait and see."

Despite his reservations, he said his members would give the scheme - launched in Thirsk on Monday - a fair crack of the whip.

The new service is part of a move to return Royal Mail to profitability. Thirsk is one of 14 areas nationwide chosen to test the idea.

But it has already hit the rocks elsewhere in the country. During a trial in Plymouth, just one customer signed up for a system which involves people paying to get their mail early.

Royal Mail says it can save about £350m a year by halting the second delivery most urban addresses receive.

Under the pilot scheme, people who get more than 20 items a day will continue to have an early delivery, before 9am. Most other customers will get their post between 9am and lunchtime.

People can opt for early delivery between 7am and 9am, but this will cost just over £14 a week. Alternatively, they can collect their mail from the local delivery office.

The move will mean the loss of 17,000 jobs over three years.

Mr Moore, landlord of the Lord Nelson in Thirsk, said he did not like the fact that Royal Mail was complaining of cash problems yet spending millions on name changes after recently re-branding itself as Consignia.

"Our members have complained about this in the past," he said. "But we will monitor the scheme and see how it affects local businesses. No-one could give a hard and fast opinion at this stage. Let's wait and see what happens."

The chamber's next meeting is on September 3 and members will discuss the impact of the scheme then.

But Mr Moore is worried about traders such as accommodation providers or firms which might get an order in the morning which they could service the following day.

"But if they don't get their mail until lunchtime they could miss out," he said. "The only alternative is to pay the extra charge."

He thinks rural businesses could be hit if they have to collect their mail.

"People could write to a bed and breakfast place asking for accommodation the next day, but the owners might miss out if the mail doesn't arrive until afternoon," he said. "These are the sort of problems we will be looking for.

"Fingers crossed there is no adverse effect in Thirsk. We will give it a fair crack of the whip and look at the situation next month."

Royal Mail's area manager for Thirsk, Andrew Lamb, said: "Delivering mail to every address in the country is an enormous undertaking. Each day we deliver 82m items to up to 27m addresses, from the heart of cities to rural places.

"The amount of mail delivered today is equal to the highest Christmas of 30 years ago, yet the current system of two daily urban deliveries has not changed."

A spokesman for Royal Mail HQ in Leeds confirmed the Thirsk trial had got under way and said the plans had not been affected by the low take-up of the charging system in Plymouth.

"It is too early to say how this will go," he said, "but it will be constantly monitored."