A leading business pressure group says postal workers risk alienating their supporters by ‘hurling a wrecking ball into the business community’ with their walk out.

Private Sector Partners claims to represent 140,000 North West businesses.

Its leader, the entrepreneur Len Collinson, said striking in the teeth of a recession will backfire badly on employees by making enemies of friends and strengthening their opponents.

“The employees could not pick a worse time for their action,” he said.

“This is tantamount to hurling a wrecking ball into the business community.

"Businesses, already struggling the length and breadth of the North West, again face having their sales and deliveries turned upside down.

"The postal service is already underperforming badly, with 30 million items snarled up in the system following nearly three months of rolling, localised strikes. This is just making a dire problem worse.”

Mr Collinson said research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research found that the economy will be hit to the tune of £1.5 billion by a national postal strike.