THE Princess Royal flew into Selby yesterday to give her seal of approval to an £8 million rail freight initiative which promises to ease traffic congestion and fuel emissions.

Princess Anne visited logistics specialist The Potter Group at its 62-acre site off Barlby Road to officially open the Medite Container Terminal and Rosebys National Distribution Centre.

The Princess arrived by helicopter and was met by Derrick Potter, chairman and chief executive of The Potter Group, before boarding a special EWS rail carriage which took her to meet local dignitaries.

She was presented with a small posy by Mr Potter's two-and-a-half year old grandson, James Alvarez, before embarking on a private tour of the new facilities which will remove more than 700 weekly road freight journeys from the A1 corridor.

Shipping company Medite has a £2.5 million five-year contract with The Potter Group which receives 400-metre container trains from the port of Felixstowe five days a week.

Household textile retailer Rosebys has a 15-year contract to service more than 400 outlets nationally from the new centre, creating 90 jobs.

Both contracts are among the first commercial operations to contribute to Strategic Rail Authority targets for increasing rail freight by 80 per cent over the next ten years.

Unveiling two plaques to mark the occasion, Princess Anne said the partnerships between The Potter Group, Medite and Rosebys were an "example for other businesses".

She also presented Mr Potter with an honorary fellowship from the Institute of Transport Administration.

Chairman of Selby District Council, Coun Richard Sweeting, said it was "a pleasure" to meet the Princess Royal and "an honour for the district of Selby".

"It is fabulous what they have done here and what they have put into the local economy.

"The jobs which the site provides are needed and appreciated."

Princess Anne is patron of both of the Institute of Logistics and Transaid, a charity which maximises the impact of aid donations through transport and logistics systems.

Mr Potter presented the Princess with donations from a number of businesses to fund a Transaid training programme in Uganda.

Updated: 10:33 Thursday, May 29, 2003