The Communications Workers Union announced the strike last week after talks between Royal Mail and the union failed.

The Peterborough Mail Centre and Delivery staff, including drivers, took industrial action yesterday.

As the post in the Deepings is delivered from the Peterborough centre, there was no post delivered in the area yesterday. Deliveries were expected to resume today.

The other delivery offices in the Peterborough area, including Orton Southgate which sorts mail for Stamford and Bourne, are on strike today, which means residents and businesses in the area won’t receive any mail.

Area delivery representative for Peterborough Adam Oakes said: “The people of Stamford will get their mail on Thursday but there might be an affect in terms of volumes of mail.

“The union is sorry to have to take this action and we would like to reassure the public and businesses that we are doing everything we can to avoid industrial action and will continue to do so.”

Mr Oakes said the union had made offers to Royal Mail, which had been rejected.

There will also no deliveries in Rutland today as the Leicester-shire branch of the union joins the strike.

Postal workers were expected to form a picket line outside the Oakham delivery office in Market Place from 5am this morning.

Secretary of the branch Mark Greenhill said he expected there to be a good turnout on the picket line.

The branch has about 2,000 members across Leicestershire and Rutland.

A further day of strike action planned for Peterborough on Monday was cancelled at the last minute.

Postmen and women at the Werrington delivery office had planned to take part in another 24-hour strike in support of three colleagues who had their pay stopped after Royal Mail management said they were not meeting standards.

But the union called the strike off saying it had been successful in getting the postmen back on pay with monies owed to be repaid.