Volunteers who produce a free weekly audio cassette full of news from the Telegraph & Argus have warned that the postal strike could disrupt their service to the blind and partially sighted.

The Talking Telegraph has been sent to visually-impaired people throughout the district for the past 24 years.

But Philip Ackroyd, a retired newsagent who leads the volunteers, has warned users that the strike could affect their service.

Each week, volunteers select articles from the T&A, read and record them onto tape and make about 180 copies for each Talking Telegraph user.

Tapes are sent as far afield as the South of England and Wales.

After listening to the tape, recipients – who must be registered blind or partially sighted – turn over the label and return it. The Royal Mail provides free delivery and return postage.

But Mr Ackroyd said he was concerned listeners might not have got the latest cassettes.

He said: “They were dropped off on Friday, but there was the dispute. So we don’t know whether they have gone.

“They will get the tapes, but they might not get them in time to send them back to us – so they might end up missing a week.

“All they can do is send them back as soon as they can.”

Three teams of volunteers run the Talking Telegraph – a registered charity – from Hall Royd Methodist Church in Shipley. The service relies on donations.

Mr Ackroyd, former president of Bradford Chamber of Trade, said the Talking Telegraph used to have about 300 regular users, but that number had dropped to about 180. It was launched by blind Shipley man Tom Burgess.

Volunteers have also called for visually-impaired people who could benefit to get in touch.

For details on the Talking Telegraph, and how it is dealing with the postal strike, contact Sally Fallon on (01274) 577852 or Mr Ackroyd on (01274) 551184.