Bradford sub-postmasters campaigning on the future of the nation's sub-post office network are preparing for a direct delivery to Downing Street.

Dozens of sub-postmasters from throughout the country are due to descend on London tomorrow to lobby the Government about plans to stop benefits and pensions being paid through sub-post offices.

And the secretary of the Bradford branch of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters said today he feared the plans could result in the closure of some smaller sub-post offices and a dramatic decline in income for those that survive.

The federation wants benefit customers to be able to choose between having their money paid directly into bank or building society accounts and continuing to collect their payments via post offices.

The West Yorkshire delegation is set to include representatives of the subpost offices at Five Lane Ends, Saltaire, Undercliffe, Peel Park, Killinghall Road, Horton Grange, Woodhall Avenue at Thornbury, Girlington and Low Moor in Bradford as well as Menston and Station Road, Horsforth.

They are to help deliver a 2.5 million name petition, calling on the Government to re-think its proposals, to 10 Downing Street before lobbying MPs at the House of Commons.

One of those planning to travel to London is Peter Finlay, the federation's Bradford branch secretary and boss of Menston Sub-Post Office.

Mr Finlay, who collected more than 1,400 names for the petition from his post office alone, said: "What we're hoping to achieve is a reversal of the Government's decision to have all benefits and pensions paid into a bank by 2003.

"About 40 per cent of my income comes from pension and allowance work and if you lose 40 per cent of your income you have to look at the viability of your business.

"Personally it will have a big adverse impact on my income - I'll have to sit back and take stock of my future and I may have to look at reducing staff.

"I think if this goes ahead a lot of smaller sub-post offices will no longer be viable - the network will only be able to support so many post offices and some will have to look very closely at whether they have a future.

"A lot of elderly people particularly are not able to cope with new technology and at the moment there's no proposed alternative to having the money paid directly into a bank.''

The federation's general secretary, Colin Baker, said: "The people who run sub-post officers are the life-blood of thousands of communities and are committed to offering a range of essential services to the rich and the poor, to the young and the old.''

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