Postal strike escalates
Post boxes across London are being sealed as the thousands of postal workers continue to strike.
A series of wildcat strikes by postal workers in London has spread throughout the country, with workers in Maidstone, Essex, Milton Keynes, Coventry, Oxford, Portsmouth, Warrington, Rugby and Stansted airport joining them in protest.
The unofficial action has brought services to a standstill in many parts of the capital, with undelivered post stacking up in sorting offices.
If the dispute continues, many of the post boxes could be out of action for the next week, as Royal Mail attempts to clear the backlog.
Mail will be emptied from the boxes before they are taped up and taken to sorting offices.
The escalating row began in west London two weeks ago when a driver was suspended. Workers in Swindon, Slough and Gravesend took unofficial action, leading to 20,000 postal workers striking across the country.
Talks between the Royal Mail and Communication Workers Union officials will resume later after being adjourned last night with little sign of a breakthrough.
Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier has accused union activists of prolonging the dispute over an increase in the London Weighting allowance, while the union has accused managers of bullying and intimidating workers.
Businesses in London are suffering as a result of the mounting mail and are calling on the government to intervene in the crisis.
