Founder of the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance Alan Bates says the Post Office scandal is a "warning shot across the bows of the big corps".

The former subpostmaster at the centre of the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, told MPs that compensation was “bogged down” and the pace of processing claims was “madness”.

He said his own compensation process was beset with delays.

“I think it was 53 days before they asked three very simple questions. It’s madness, the whole thing is madness. And there’s no transparency behind it, which is even more frustrating. We do not know what’s happening to these cases once they disappear in there.”

Wrongfully convicted former subpostmistress Jo Hamilton said it was “almost like you’re being retried … it just goes on and on and on”.