TRADERS have expressed fears for their future amid rumours that a threatened depot could be transformed into a major retail park.

Business leaders in Northallerton are concerned that BT is planning to close its depot in the town and sell the site to developers.

They say such a move would be an economic disaster for the town's High Street, which would suffer a severe loss of trade.

All 88 members of the town's chamber of trade have been urged to write to local MP and Conservative Party leader William Hague in an attempt to stave off potential closure.

But Councillor John Coulson, who has been campaigning to save the depot, said a previous application for a retail park to be developed in the area had been refused, and this could offer hope to traders.

He said: "I don't want to see the BT depot close because it will have an effect on the trade of Northallerton.

"There was an application for some land next door, which was refused as a retail park, as it would have a detrimental effect on the High Street."

Fears that the Darlington Road depot has already been earmarked for closure were heightened recently, when BT began to axe jobs before an announcement on its future was made.

BT has asked the 180 staff for volunteers to work elsewhere in the company.

Those who decide to stay on will have to take their chances on the depot remaining open once the results of the company's review of its nationwide operations have been announced.

The Communication Workers Union is now in urgent talks with BT in an attempt to delay the job cuts, at least until doubts over the future of the depot have been resolved.

BT has told staff it is cutting the workforce by ten and is looking for volunteers to move to jobs elsewhere in the company, including a new depot in Leicestershire, which could take over the work now done at Northallerton.

But BT says the decision to cut jobs and the review of the depot are being handled separately.

A spokesman said that no firm decision on the long-term future of the site was expected until December.