NEARLY a quarter of jobs at BBC Hereford and Worcester are being axed, along with the afternoon radio show.

The plans are part of the corporation’s bid to save £670 million over the next five years and include “a small reduction” in new programmes on BBC One, which will be replaced by repeats.

At BBC Hereford and Worcester, based in Hylton Road, Worcester, the number of staff is being cut from 35 to 27 and there are fears the office in Hereford will be closed.

The afternoon radio slot from 1pm to 4pm, currently hosted by Andrew Easton, is being replaced by either a national or different regional programme.

Peter Saull, BBC Hereford and Worcester’s National Union of Journalists representative, said the station is hoping for voluntary redundancies but if these can’t be found, there will be compulsory redundancies.

He said: “We are a local radio station, it is important we stay local.

“As soon as we start sharing programmes that localness is lost.

"These proposals will affect the quality of our output – we can’t lose a quarter of our staff and have the same quality.

"We are trying to pull together and do our best to provide a service.”

Mr Saull blamed the cuts on a “backroom” deal made by director general Mark Thompson to freeze licence fees for the next six years.

The NUJ is pushing for the deal to be renegotiated.

A consultation period is currently under way but Mr Saull said the eight jobs at Hereford and Worcester will go within the next 18 months.

Across the corporation, about 2,000 jobs are expected to go by 2016.

The BBC in Birmingham, based at the Mailbox, is set to lose 150 staff, with the factual unit moving to Bristol and jobs also going from radio, current affairs and news.

WN jobs at risk

• SEVEN jobs are at risk at newspapers across the Midlands run by the owners of the Worcester News.

Newsquest Midlands South has announced a proposal to merge editorial operations of several newspapers, including the Worcester News, Malvern Gazette and Evesham Journal. A 30-day consultation period with staff follows.

The company said if the proposal goes ahead it would do what it could to avoid unnecessary redundancy situations and will be seeking volunteers and looking at non-filling of vacancies.

It blamed current market conditions.