Online delivery fees to Highlands changed by 20 firms

Online shopping delivery charges have been a long-running issue

A campaign for fairer delivery charges for goods ordered over the internet has proved successful, the local authority running it has said.

Last year, Highland Council asked people and businesses in remote and rural areas for examples of fees higher than the rest of the UK.

Since the call went out, the council said 20 internet trading companies had altered their charges.

Highland trading standards officers had been investigating the costs.

In November, officers said people in remote areas were paying "expensive" delivery costs.

Internet delivery costs have been a long-running issue.

In 2004, Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael claimed deregulation of parcel post had even seen some firms refusing to deliver to islanders.

He urged the UK government to "get to grips" with the problem of extra charges for mail order delivery to the Northern Isles.

Two years later, Mr Carmichael and other Liberal Democrats accused mail order companies of "excessive and discriminatory" delivery charges.

Their criticism was contained in a parliamentary motion tabled in the House of Commons.

Danny Alexander, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP, said at the time that people were being told it cost double the price of delivering to other areas.