Richmond town council has vowed to do everything in its power to ensure the future of the Green Howards regiment.

While army officers are keen not to launch a campaign prematurely, there are fears that the regiment could be amalgamated and its name lost as part of defence cuts announced last week.

Maj Brian Metcalfe, acting regimental secretary, told the council he believed a large, three-battalion Yorkshire regiment would be created and that the name of the Green Howards would disappear.

"We do not yet know whether the Green Howards will be involved in these changes but I suspect they may be, because they weren't hit in the last round of cuts and recruiting has not been so good, largely because of the Government moratorium on recruiting," he told the council meeting on Monday.

"Nobody wants this to happen. The family regiment is the backbone of the British Army."

A decision is not expected until October or November and Maj Metcalfe said it was too early to begin a campaign to save the 320-year-old regiment, which has its headquarters in Richmond and recruits traditionally in North Yorkshire and Teesside.

But contingency plans were being drawn up in the event of a decision to merge the regiment.

Senior officers were to meet in London on August 10, when more might be learned, he said.

Councillors backed a proposal that the authority did everything it could to oppose a merger of the regiment.

"I am absolutely appalled that there is even any notion that the Green Howards should amalgamate with anybody else," said Coun Clive World.