UPDATE 2-Helphire sees tough trading; to cut fleet size further

* Ian Wardle named FD * Plans to dispose of further 2,100 vehicles * Sees annual cost savings of over 10 mln stg (Adds details)

May 6 (Reuters) - British accident claim handler Helphire Group Plc (HHR.L) warned it expected trading conditions to remain very challenging for some time and planned to cut the size of its fleet further as part of its cost reduction programme.

The company said on Wednesday it appointed Ian Wardle as group finance director with immediate effect, replacing Charles Lambert, who has held the position on an interim basis for the last four months.

Helphire said it planned to dispose of a further 2,100 vehicles in addition to the 2,000 vehicles announced during its interim results in February.

The company said its cost-reduction measures were running ahead of its original plan, and it expected to achieve annualised overhead cost savings of more than 10 million pounds ($15.0 million) compared to the cost base in the first half.

It expects these savings to make a major impact from July 1 onwards.

"We are looking to replace lost volumes with new business and we are pursuing several opportunities which, if successful, will improve the outlook for next financial year," Helphire said in a statement.

Helphire shares closed at 37.75 pence on Tuesday on the London Stock Exchange. ($1=.6651 POUND) (Reporting by Tresa Sherin Morera in Bangalore; Editing by Kavita Chandran)