Disappointed York shoppers who had been waiting to join Sainsbury's ambitious online shopping scheme today said they couldn't understand the chain's decision to scrap it.

Two customers rang the Evening Press following our story about the ending of the Orderline service at the Monks Cross store.

Both said they had been desperate to join the scheme - but had been told there were long waiting lists.

Guest house owner Richard Martin said he and his wife's experience simply didn't tally with the supermarket chain's claim there was not enough demand for the scheme.

Mr Martin, who runs the Abbeyfelds guesthouse in Bootham Terrace with his wife Gwen, said she had contacted Sainsbury's two months ago to ask to join the scheme.

He said: "She was told our area, Bootham, was oversubscribed and they would add her to the waiting list.

"We ourselves know of two other people, one a neighbour and the other in the next street, who use the scheme. When they say there's not enough demand, it surprises me."

Another York resident, who didn't want to be named, said she too had been told she would have to join a waiting list.

She said: "I'm just intrigued to know why they are saying they haven't got anybody interested in it. About six weeks ago I was told there was a long waiting list and they would contact me when it got to my turn."

A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said the service in York had been a small-scale trial only, designed to assess levels of potential demand.

Because it had been only a small-scale operation, there had been a short waiting list, she admitted. But the overall level of demand was not enough to make it worth continuing the service.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.