CHRISTMAS mail could be disrupted in parts of west Wiltshire if two proposed 24-hour strikes go ahead.

Workers at the West of England mail centre in Filton, Bristol have voted to strike on December 12 and 18 if a disagreement over Christmas working times and payments cannot be reached.

Kevin Beazer, Bristol official for the Communication Workers Union, said Royal Mail senior management had backed out of an earlier agreement regarding an enhanced overtime payment over the busy Christmas period.

Stuart Thompson, Royal Mail area manager for Bristol, Bath and Taunton said: "This is certainly not a case of Royal Mail not wishing to pay overtime, there is still plenty of overtime available, for those who are prepared to commit to meeting our customers' needs."

"The CWU claims that an earlier deal was struck is inaccurate and refers to preliminary discussions on resourcing arrangements for Christmas, but did not constitute an agreement."

Mr Beazer said: "We're going round in circles at the moment. We're trying to solve the problem without taking action but I'm not particularly hopeful at the moment."

Royal Mail is hoping an agreement will be reached and that if industrial action goes ahead, it will cause only minimal disruption to the normal service.

A spokesman said that special deliveries should not be affected by strike action.

The Filton centre handles mail for areas with BA or BS post codes, including Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon and Westbury.

Mail going to Chippenham and Melksham is processed at Swindon.