Franking machines were the "hottest" pieces of equipment at Burnley's sorting office yesterday as the mails were cleared.

Burnley's "unhappy" postal workers "cold shouldered" five strike breakers who had ignored the original strike call, when they returned to work yesterday morning, 8th March 1971. They themselves had voted overwhelmingly in favour of ending the strike at meetings held over the week-end. It will take an estimated 10 days to a fortnight before postal services are back to any semblance of being "normal". Apart from a massive backlog of mail, and other work, the Post Office is converting to decimalisation. People who waited patiently outside Burnley's head post office from 9 a.m. yesterday were disappointed as the doors remained closed. Later in the morning notices were posted up announcing that the office would not open until tomorrow morning.

Mr A. Tweedle, Burnley's head postmaster, told the Burnley Express yesterday: "Deliveries are already being dealt with. Some have already gone out".