PAPERBOYS and girls are becoming a vanishing breed, forcing deliveries to be cancelled, newsagents said on Saturday.

Shops have posted newspapers and magazines through customers' letterboxes for decades.

But newsagents are starting to admit defeat as young people continue to turn their backs on the traditional paperboy job. Stan Norris, of S & C Norris in Lostock, has delivered newspapers to customers for more than 20 years, but from he will stop from next Saturday.

"Over the last few years, it's got harder and harder to attract paperboys," said Mr Norris. "I'm set to lose business but I can't carry on like this."

Mr Norris has been rising early and delivering papers himself at 6.30am.

He said: "Only two people work in the shop and we stay open until 8.30pm. It's just too much to take on ourselves.

"Children get money too easily these days. They don't seem to need jobs like paper rounds any more. We get them coming in waving fivers at the penny sweet tray."

Jackie Beattie, who works at Whithead's in Lee Lane, Horwich, says she no longer runs a delivery service.

"The previous owners were forced to deliver themselves or not at all," she said. "The shop had to close between 6am and 7am while the papers were delivered." Claire Bennett, who owns Village News in Blackrod, said: "We struggle to find morning paperboys because parents don't want them going out on dark mornings. By law, we are not allowed to send them out from the shop any earlier than 7am.

"We have a retired man who helps us with deliveries."