DISRUPTION to Kent’s postal services will continue into next week, the union behind this week’s strike has warned.

Picket lines formed on Monday outside mail sorting centres in Maidstone, Canterbury and Dover for the second Communication Workers Union (CWU) strike in the space of a week.

About 130,000 members of the CWU are taking part in the 48-hour strike. It follows a walk-out which began last Thursday and ended on Saturday.

It is a protest against the Royal Mail's modernisation plans, which they say will knock £60,000 off the average pension and lead to a worsening of the postal service.

Dave Banbury, secretary of the Kent Invicta branch of the CWU, which covers Maidstone, the Medway towns, Canterbury, Dover and Thanet, warned that action would continue beyond Wednesday, when the current round of strikes are over.

He said: "We believe that the modernisation plans by Royal Mail for workers to start later will see a worsening of the service. We think it will hit small businesses the hardest, especially those waiting for cheques and orders.

"In addition, Royal Mail has offered around a 2.5 per cent pay increase for most workers, but only on the condition that we forgo a final salary pension scheme.

"These changes will be imposed by Royal Mail once this week’s strike is over. So from next week, the branch will be implementing a rolling strike, where we will take out different postal functions on different days.

"So on one day, there could be no delivery workers on shifts and on another day, processing people will not come into work. It will be a week-long disruption to the service."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are urging the CWU to call off further strike action in the interests of our customers and everyone in the company.

"Striking will do nothing to change the harsh competitive realities we face and we need to press on with modernising the company."