Householders and businesses who get less than 20 letters a day must pay £750 a year if they want their post delivered before 9.00am, the Royal Mail has announced.

Shadow trade and industry spokesman, John Whittingdale, said small firms will not be able to afford to wait until lunchtime for a delivery.

Forum Response: Communication Workers Union

Dave Ward, spokesman for the CWU, told ePolitix.com: "This is the result of a lack of investment and changing customer requirements.

"We will be making it abundantly clear to Post Office chairman Allan Leighton and to the government that you cannot have a quality postal service on the cheap, literally on the backs of our members."

Forum Response: Federation of Small Businesses

A spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses told ePolitix.com: "Our members feel that the £14 per week charge is discriminatory towards small businesses.

"£750 per year is a sizeable increase in business costs at a time when small firms in many sectors are already struggling."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

A spokesman for the IoD told ePolitix.com: "The introduction of this charge is completely unacceptable. Small businesses are already labouring under enough regulatory burdens and hidden charges, they should certainly not be penalised for the incompetent running of the UK's postal system over recent years."