A LAST ditch effort to persuade the Royal Mail to stay in Liverpool and build one of its three new North West distribution centres in the city has failed.

The company has announced that none of the options put forward by regeneration agency Liverpool Vision for sites in the north and the south of the city met its conditions because they were too expensive.

Royal Mail said it was cheaper to transfer work from Crewe and Liverpool to an existing centre in Warrington, than construct a new building in Liverpool.

The Copperas Hill sorting office will now close some time next year - but the company could not say when - and 580 jobs will be moved to Warrington.

A spokesman for the firm said everyone working at Copperas Hill would have a job at the centre in Warrington if they wanted it.

Jim Gill, chief executive, of Liverpool Vision, said: "Liverpool Vision has had the opportunity to present costed options for a new Liverpool Mail Centre to Royal Mail, working to detailed specifications provided by Royal Mail.

"The options presented included sites in the north and south of the City. Royal Mail have considered these options and provided a reasoned comparison with the company’s preferred option at Warrington.

"The Liverpool options carry a significant cost disadvantage because of the need for site acquisition and new building and Royal Mail have said that they do not meet their investment criteria".

For the full story see tomorrow’s Daily Post.