PLANS for mail posted in York to bear a Leeds postmark have been dropped, after one of the city’s MPs intervened.

The city will still not have its own name on letters but will now be covered by a “North and West Yorkshire” mark. Royal Mail announced last month that all items posted in the York postcode area will be sorted at a new centre in Leeds and said postmarks would have the Leeds name. York Central MP Hugh Bayley lobbied Royal Mail for a rethink and the company has now confirmed a new North and West Yorkshire mark will be introduced from this weekend.

Mr Bayley said: “York and North Yorkshire are among the most popular tourist destinations in the UK and it’s great news that we will not lose our separate identity.”