A free service that sends talking books by post to visually-impaired Hertfordshire residents could be scrapped by councillors despite being over-subscribed with users.

Hertfordshire County Council local and libraries cabinet panel will meet this afternoon to discuss whether to scrap its Cassettes for Blind People service over concerns about format and cost.

The service currently has 378 regular users in the county and is described in council documents as "running at capacity" but costs the council £51,000 per year to operate.

The use of cassettes for the service also has "no viable future" due to advances in technology and the declining availability of cassette players.

If the closure is approved, all current users of the service will be provided with membership to the Royal National Institute for the Blind’s own subscription service which will cost the council £80 per person but could free up funds for a further 180 users.