Striking Royal Mail pickets were outside their depot in Sheerness this morning as part of an ongoing dispute over pay.

The men, sheltering from the rain under umbrellas, fixed a banner and flags to railings in Sheerness Broadway as part of a 48-hour walk-out.

One of them said all 50 staff at the depot were on strike.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) was expecting all its 115,000 members to walk out in protest against an “imposed” 2% pay rise.

Pickets were mounted outside delivery and sorting offices following one-day strikes on August 26 and 31. Two more 48-hour stoppages are planned for September 30 and October 1.

Customers are warned of further industrial action if the deadlock is not broken.

The union said its members faced a “dramatic” reduction in living standards because of the soaring rate of inflation.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “When Royal Mail bosses are raking in £758 million in profit and shareholders pocketing in excess of £400 million, our members won’t accept pleads of poverty from the company.

“We can’t keep on living in a country where bosses rake in billions while employees are forced to use food banks."

Royal Mail's latest adjusted operating profit for the year to March was £416m, up from £344m, but the company says it is losing £1m a day.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We apologise for the impact the CWU’s industrial action is having on our customers. We are doing all we can to minimise any delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected."

He said the company had to adapt old ways of working with letters to cope with the increased number of parcels.

"Strike action has weakened our financial position and is threatening the long-term job security of our postmen and women," he added.