POST offices in Worcestershire have reported a smooth transition to the new mailing charges despite fears of chaos.

Yesterday, Royal Mail introduced a new pricing system, based on the size as well as weight of each item being sent. Many people had forecast widespread chaos at Post Offices with customers confused by the new system and poorly informed of the changes.

But Matthew Bumphrey, sub-postmaster at Evesham Post Office, in the town's High Street, said: "It's gone a lot smoother than we thought it would.

"We just say to people if it fits in the red hole it's a small letter, if it goes into the grey hole it's a large letter and if it doesn't go into either then it's a packet.

"We have had a couple of people moaning saying that it's just another way of Royal Mail putting up prices without increasing the cost of first class stamps."

Jeff Bailey of London Road Post Office, Worcester, said: "We haven't had any problems. People seem to know about it.

"All the media hype about it being confusing hasn't happened at all." Meanwhile, Anne Deegan, from Malvern Link Post Office, in the town's Worcester Road, said that many people would find the new system cheaper.

She said 32p used to pay for a `normal letter' weighing up to 60 grammes, but for the same price customers could now send a letter weighing up to 100 grammes.

She said: "People thought it was going to increase but a lot of the post has gone down in price not up."

But some county businesses are feeling the brunt of this change.

Lucy Dell owns earplugsbypost.com, a specialist earplug business, based near Tenbury Wells. Because earplugs are light but bulky, the first class postage on a small pack of earplugs has risen from 32p to £1. She said: "We cannot absorb the whole of this huge rise so we have had to scrap all our old price lists and print new ones, a further expense.

"We are now looking at moulded plastic packaging try to keep our packs under the new 25mm thickness limit. This type of specialist packaging is expensive, but would be cost-effective if it cuts the postage cost from £1 to 44p."