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Around 5,500 Post Office workers are to take part in a bank holiday strike which begins this afternoon.

The four days of industrial action are being staged following a failure by union bosses to reach an agreement with Post Office management over pay and pensions.

Representatives from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) confirmed that the bank holiday weekend strikes would go ahead after claiming that the Post Office was "still refusing to make an acceptable offer" to its members.

The union says staff from 465 crown post offices, main branches sited on the UK's high streets, are striking over a proposed two-year pay freeze and cuts to workers' pay and pensions.

In the latest industrial action to hit Britain's postal services, staff from Post Office branches affected will begin their walkout at 16:00.

The strike will continue tomorrow, affecting all crown post offices in the UK, while workers in Scotland will also strike on Bank Holiday Monday.

A fourth day of nationwide industrial action is set to be staged on Tuesday, when crown post offices in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will re-open after the holiday break.

Commenting on the planned strikes, a CWU spokesman said the action would have "some impact" upon consumers who used the crown post office network.

The Post Office was unavailable for comment.

This weekend's strikes come after the CWU called off separate industrial action by postal workers earlier this month, after agreeing to further talks with Royal Mail bosses in a parallel row concerning pay and conditions.

At the centre of the dispute are Royal Mail's modernisation plans, which union leaders claim will result in the loss of up to 40,000 jobs.

Royal Mail has said that the CWU is "ignoring the harsh commercial reality" of the UK postal market, which was recently opened up to full competition.

The postal services provider insists that modernisation is necessary because it is losing business to rivals who have more efficient operations and lower prices.

Both sides have agreed to reach a deal by September 4th.