Council workers close schools

They were Holgate Comprehensive and Hillside Primary in Hucknall, River Leen Comprehensive in Bulwell and Annesley Primary, although a school trip planned from there was still going ahead.

Partial closures included the nursery department of Hucknall's Edgewood Primary School.

A total of more than 100 schools across Nottinghamshire were partly or fully closed because of the industrial action on Thursday and Wednesday.

Also closed were Bulwell Library, Bulwell Family Centre and the main house of Newstead Abbey.

Picketing workers gathered on Wednesday outside Ashfield District Council's offices at Kirkby, which were closed for the strike, while the council's offices on Watnall Road, Hucknall were also shut.

Both were due to re-open at 8.30 am on Friday after an emergencies-only phone number of 01623 550077 had been given out.

The Unison and Unite unions are striking over pay and claimed yesterday that there had been a "very positive response so far".

They are angry that council workers have been offered a pay rise of only 2.45% – at a time when the cost of food, petrol and bills is rocketing.

In response, the councils say they would have to cut services and jobs if they paid the workers any more.

Ashfield, Gedling and Nottingham City Councils all urged householders to put out wheelie-bins as usual, although they could not guarantee these being emptied during the strike.

The head of neighbourhood services for Ashfield Council, Edd de Coverly, said: "We apologise for any inconvenience but we are confident we can minimise disruption."

Gedling Council chief executive Peter Murdock said: "Any disruption to services is regrettable but we are seeking to minimise this as far as possible.

"The advice we are giving to residents is to go about their business and access services as they would normally."

A city council spokesman said: "We have done whatever we can to limit the impact but inevitably some services will be affected."

He added that their refuse collection service should not have been too badly hit because all but one of their lorries were due to operate as usual.