MAJOR changes to the way post is delivered are set to be introduced across East Lancashire.

The move will see new delivery routes introduced with packages and letters delivered together.

Royal Mail has warned some people may find their post arrives later than it used to.

New equipment will also be introduced to make delivering bulkier and heavier items easier.

According to the company, the changes are a response to a decrease in the amount of letters being posted, while the number of packages and parcels is increasing.

The first area to be affected is the Ribble Valley, with the new system launched in Clitheroe yesterday.

Royal Mail said it planned to roll out the changes to the rest of the UK throughout the year.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “There will be no job losses as a result of the changes in Clitheroe now, nor in the following months.”

A Communication Workers’ Union spokesman said East Lancashire representatives will be meeting with Royal Mail bosses tomorrow to learn more about the changes.

Royal Mail’s collections and delivery sector manager Darren Banks said: “We are proud of the high regard in which our postmen and women are held in Clitheroe.

“The changes to delivery routes will mean that a member of our local and experienced team will still be delivering to our customers in Clitheroe.

“The local delivery team and I are fully committed to providing a high quality of service that is as reliable and friendly as customers have come to expect from Royal Mail in Clitheroe over many years.”

A CWU spokeswoman said: “There is a lot of change taking place in Royal Mail at the moment.

“And this can have a big impact on customers and staff.

“The union is working closely with Royal Mail to ensure that the service to the community is maintained and that jobs are protected during the modernisation programme.”

The changes come just days after Royal Mail announced the price of a first class stamp will be increased to 60p.