Residents in Newhaven will get only one postal delivery as of Monday under a pilot scheme looking at abolishing the second post in the UK.

Newhaven is one of 14 areas nationwide, including Crawley, which will take part in the experiment.

The scheme is part of three-year plan aimed at returning the Consignia group, which is changing its name to Royal Mail Group by the end of the year, to profitability.

By reorganising deliveries, the company expects to save about £350 million gross a year.

At present, the second post accounts for about 20 per cent of delivery costs, but only carries four per cent of the UK's mail.

The new plans aim to reduce travelling costs and make the service more efficient.

Customers receiving more than 20 letters a day will receive their mail before 9am while others will be delivered by noon.

But there has been outrage at plans to charge businesses and residents receiving less than 20 letters £14 to continue their early morning service.

Today, shadow trade and industry secretary John Whittingdale handed a petition to the Government calling for the future of rural sub-post offices to be assured.

He said: "Many small firms rely on the Royal Mail for their cash flow and their orders and cannot afford to wait until lunchtime for a delivery."

The changes will mean more than a million first class letters a week will arrive the next working day after posting.

Other cost-cutting measures, including redundancy for more than 17,000 workers, are being introduced to try to stem pre-tax losses of £1.1 billion.

Postwatch, the industry regulator, supports the scheme.

Chairman Peter Carr said: "Postwatch will monitor the trials in the 14 areas on behalf of customers."