THREE trade unionists will be staging what could be the smallest strike in English history in a Westcountry village next week.

The members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will picket their tiny wooden workplace in Woolavington, near Bridgwater, Somerset, in protest at Royal Mail's refusal to guarantee them a future in the village.

Janet Cox, Nick Lock and local CWU representative Dave Chappell will be petitioning and leafleting local residents, for a week from Monday, asking them to support their fight to keep the village delivery office.

Bristol and district CWU branch secretary Dave Wilshire said: "Royal Mail should be aware that this protest strike may be small but it is justified and deadly serious. Our members Janet, Nick and Dave are proud of their local knowledge and the personal service they provide, which would be all lost if a village sorting office closed. I believe the whole community understands and supports the reasons for our protest – but Royal Mail must listen."

The village has had a delivery office for at least 30 years, but the current premises are in need of repairs and could be closed down by the end of January.

Royal Mail is believed to want to transfer the service to Bridgwater or Burnham-on-Sea.

But the CWU maintains it has identified a suitable, alternative site in the village for the office.

The three-man strike would take place against a background of industrial disputes over redundancies and the closure of more than 2,500 of the 11,500 post offices nationwide.

Nearly 150 branches were closed across Devon and Cornwall last year as part of a cost-cutting programme.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "Talks with the CWU aimed at averting the planned action at Woolavington are ongoing and we remain hopeful that the strike can be averted. However, should the action go ahead we will implement contingency arrangements to ensure deliveries will be maintained in the area."

The business minister, Lord Mandelson, has urged the Government to rethink the closures programme, so that post offices can survive by taking on a range of extras Government and financial services.