A GROUP of more than 100 angry postal workers including staff from Bolton who are battling to save rural deliveries and stop private companies bidding for their routes lobbied MPs in London today.

They will urge politicians to support their campaign to ensure a daily postal service for addresses across the country.

Postal regulator PostComm's controversial proposals will create competition for Royal Mail by allowing private companies to deliver correspondence.

Furious union chiefs say profitable routes will be "cherry-picked" and claim rural services will be virtually wiped out. They fear the plans will mean the end of a publicly-owned Post Office.

Carl Webb, Regional Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), added: "Our members are going to Westminster to demand that their local MPs put pressure onto the Government to save a vital public service. The Government owns the Post Office.

"The proposals will have a major effect on the universal service which in turn will have an effect on rural areas and small towns so yes, parts of Bolton could be affected.

"The postman is probably now one of the only service-based people to go to nearly everybody's home -- and that is what could be lost in Bolton."

Campaigners are also demanding postal worker's jobs are protected.

At least 200 workers are to lose their jobs in Bolton -- from the Royal Mail's sorting depot in Stone Hill Road, Farnworth and the neighbouring Parcelforce depot -- as Consignia begin a three-year period of reconstruction aimed at recovering daily losses of £1.5 million.