Workers at a Royal Mail depot near Bristol are taking unofficial strike action in protest at plans to sell off part of the company.

The workers are employed by Cashco, the arm of the Royal Mail which delivers cash and high value items.

The action began at 1900 BST on Monday after detailed plans were revealed regarding the sale of Cashco to Securicor.

Initially, 30 members of the late shift at the Filton depot began the action and they were joined by 90 others at 0600 BST on Tuesday.

'No warning'

Adrian Booth from Consignia, the company which runs Royal Mail operations, told BBC News Online postal deliveries were not affected.

He said: "We are in negotiations regarding the sale of the Cashco business and Securicor has been identified as the preferred bidder.

"There was no warning about the strike action which started in full force at 0600 BST on Tuesday with the early shift workers.

"The Royal Mail side of our operation is entirely unaffected at this point.

"I don't believe they (the strikers) are seeking an escalation of the action to the mail centre."

There is due to be a meeting of union officials in London on Thursday when the Cashco sell-off will be discussed.