The administrative county was unpopular, especially among people from Herefordshire, who due to the disparity of sizes of the populations (Worcestershire: 550000 (2001), Herefordshire: 170000 (2001)), saw it as a takeover rather than a merger.
After a short life of 22 years, it was abolished by The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 - SI 1996/1867, and split into new administrative units of the unitary district of county of Herefordshire and the administrative county of Worcestershire, which did not have had the same boundaries as the former administrative counties.
